His Honor, The Mayor, Drew Lipsky?
by noncynic
Summary: A prank by a bored Shego lands Drakken in the race for Mayor of Middleton, a job he doesn't want. But then again, there's no way he could win, right?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

This story takes place during Kim and Ron's Senior year. It partially shares the premise that the TV episodes were Ron's version of events. But in this one, Kim and Ron are a couple, unlike my other stories, though how they came to be one may not match canon.

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Drew Lipsky, better known to many as Doctor Drakken, strolled out the front door of his Middleton lair, burrowed into a mountain approximately four miles from the city limits. He sipped at a large mug of hot chocolate as he walked. He was wearing quite normal blue pajamas under a black robe. The 'fluffy bunny slippers' were an invention of Ron Stoppable's creative mind, but the curled-toe 'Arabian Nights' slippers he wore instead were hardly less amusing.

He stood outside the door for a minute, surveying the visible surroundings, a frown forming on his face. _"All right, it's a seven mile drive up the mountain, maybe the paperboy has a reason to be unhappy, but why take it out on me!" _Not spotting the objective of his search immediately, he drifted further away from the entrance, turning to scan the brush above the door, and the various crevices and niches in the rock around them. _"If he pitched it in the skunk den, it's staying there, this time!"_

Then he spotted it, wrapped in it's double layer of protective plastic, his copy of the _**Middleton Mirror**_. It was at ground level, surprisingly, which caused Drakken to approach it as if it was possibly booby-trapped. Then he spotted the blue slip of paper tucked inside. _"Aha! The 'I'm your new paperperson' notice, that explains that!" _He wondered how long this one would continue to place the paper accessibly. He picked the newspaper up, and returned inside.

He refilled his mug before unwrapping the paper, seated at his own kitchen table. His eye immediately went to today's headline, _**'Two fresh opponents to challenge incumbent in Mayoral election!' **_Then he began to read the article.

And suddenly, a fine mist of coco-moo filled the air...

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"SHEGO!" Drakken's shout, accompanied by the _kicking_ _in_ of her bedroom door, might have told Shego something serious was afoot. But after a late night out partying, she wasn't too swift at the moment. Her instinctive response began, one hand coming out from under the covers, green plasma beginning to flicker.

"Mayor of Middleton!?" Drakken snapped.

The plasma disappeared, as both of Shego's eyes shot open. "Oops!"

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"I was bored, Doctor D!" Shego snapped, pacing around her bedroom, robe swishing behind her. "You needed the paper record of your silly moving violation to disappear, so you could renew your driver's license without taking the exam! And you told me not to do anything that might alert the authorities! So there I was, waiting for the night watchman to stop hitting the bottle he had stashed in the file room! And...well, the paperwork to register as a candidate was right there, and I, um...had to pass the time!" She shrugged, "I mean, I could have chosen the application for Dog Catcher, or Superintendent of Public Works..." she finished lamely in the face of Drakken's scowl.

"The paperwork for registering as a candidate was at the DMV?" Drakken asked, suspiciously.

"No! They don't keep the record of your traffic violations at the DMV, they keep it at the Hall of Records, Doc! Geeze, lucky I didn't let you go instead...no, I take that back!"

Drakken looked relieved, then frowned. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have asked you to play nice, Shego! I mean, beating up a city employee is fine, but I don't want you identified attacking someone from the DMV! Or the IRS! Or..."

"The CIA?"

Drakken made a face. "Please, Shego, be serious! If you were identified in CIA headquarters, they'd immediately assume it was a hoax, perpetrated by another agency, to lead them astray! Things are never what they seem, in that place!"

Shego blinked rapidly, willing her eyes not to cross. "Riiight! Anyway, the night watchman was seventy if he was a day, and I'm not sure how to handle someone that fragile, really!"

Drakken was silent a moment, then brightened. "Well, did you fill in the information correctly? If you didn't, the registration is invalid!"

Shego shrugged, "Sorry, Doctor D, I filled everything in correctly, it's legal!"

"Aha! That's where you're wrong, Shego! I can't hold the office, because I have..."

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"A criminal record!" Kim stated, "So he can't run for Mayor, can he?" She looked to her boyfriend, Ron Stoppable, for confirmation, as they strolled down a hallway in Middleton High School, on their way to homeroom. Unfortunately, it was not Ron who responded.

"Actually, Possible, if you were aware of some of the idiosyncrasies of law that exist in some communities, especially the one you are resident in..." Mister Barkin's voice came from behind them, making both jump, "You'd know that in this town, it may in fact _be_ legal! You see, during Middleton's frontier days, they once needed someone to 'clean up' the town. They had two candidates for the posts of Mayor and Town Marshal, two jobs which previously had enjoyed short life expectancies. They were brothers, in fact. Unfortunately, they were wanted in Arizona, Utah, and Nebraska. So, an ordinance was passed, making it necessary for one to be convicted of a crime in the state of Colorado, in order to be ineligible for either post."

Kim stared at him incredulously for a moment, before commenting sarcastically, "And a ridiculous law like that is still on the books?"

"It is indeed, Miss Possible, and I wouldn't be so quick to describe such things as 'ridiculous' so blithely! That ordinance gave the town peace and order for nearly two decades! No one saw any point in removing it from the books afterwards, but none expected that it would ever be relevant again." He paused, looking her in the eye, "So, is this Drew Lipsky a convicted felon, in the sovereign State of Colorado?"

Kim shuffled her feet uncertainly, "Well, um, no, actually! You see, the state...and the town, never bothered to file, because there was always a Federal charge involved in whatever he did, or even an international one! So, they didn't want to waste their time, feeling that they'd never get hold of him to prosecute, anyway!"

Barkin nodded in satisfaction, folding his arms across his chest as he stared down at her, "Well then! According to law, Mister Lipsky can run for office in Middleton!"

Kim fumbled for an answer, then had one, she hoped. "What about residency? I don't think..." But Barkin was shaking his head. "No residency requirement ever established, Possible! Sorry, that won't do!"

"But, but...there are charges that can still be filed! I...what?"

"_Convicted_, Possible, convicted! And anyway, if those charges were filed now, the candidate could cry foul, couldn't they?"

Kim's eyes were bulging, her face turning red, as her mind raced. Then Ron laid his hand on her shoulder. "KP, chill! I mean, it's not as if he's going to win, is it? Joe Geary's still popular, and even Bennett Rockwaller will get more votes then Drakken, right?"

Kim's face returned to normal, but she shot Ron a sour look, "Thanks for reminding me that Bonnie's father is in the race! I mean, it was bad enough four years ago, now she's older, and wiser! Wait, what did the paper mean by 'fresh' candidates? Bonnie's dad ran before!" Then she shook her head, "Forget it! You're right, he hasn't a chance, and we need to get to home room, Ron!"

"Hey Guys! Did you see what the Mayor did? It's all over the Internet!" Ron Reger came running down the hall, waving a printout of a photograph in his hand.

He slowed up as he spotted Barkin, but still held the picture up for Kim and Ron to look at. Kim's eyes widened, and after a moment, her face paled. She clapped one hand over her mouth, and sprinted for the restroom.

Barkin's face twisted into a disgusted look. "That is so..._wrong_!"

Ron kept tilting his head, trying to get a better view. "Are those farm animals?"

Reger chortled. "Not real ones, doofus! Those are the fake ones outside 'Old Hillary's Farm' day care center! I mean, it's a joke! Some of his old college buddies came to town, I heard, and they went out on the town, and he did this as a joke! Probably never suspected someone would have a camera around!"

"The fool!" Barkin snapped, "They have eyes everywhere!"

Ron looked at him curiously, "Who, Mister Barkin?"

Barkin looked him in the eyes, "You're too young, Stoppable, keep your innocence a while longer!" Then he turned and strode imperiously away.

Reger put a hand on Ron's shoulder, "Yes, brother! Retain your innocence for as long as possible!" He waved the picture around, "I am so putting this up in the cafeteria, and see how many people lose their appetite! Or their lunches!" He sped off.

Kim returned a few minutes later, still looking a little pale. Ron put his arm around her shoulder. "It's Okay, KP! It wasn't a real animal!"

Kim nodded, "I know, I recognized her! I used to talk to her! I called her Bessie, and she was my friend! She...how could he do that to her!"

Ron blinked in consternation, then spotted something over her shoulder. "Um, KP, you want something to take your mind off it?"

"Please and Thank You!"

"I think Bonnie knows her father just became the frontrunner!" Kim turned to see Bonnie Rockwaller strolling down the hall, with twice her normal entourage, a huge smile on her face. "Oh, Terrific!" The brunette stopped in front of them, and looked Kim in the eye. "Hey, Kim! How do you like the idea of me being First Daughter of Middleton?"

Kim clamped her mouth shut, resisting the urge to snap out the obvious retort to that. She'd sort of given her word never to bring up...then poor Tara saved her the trouble.

"Wouldn't you be Third Daughter? I mean, you have two older sisters, right?" The girl cringed as Bonnie lost her smile, and turned her glare on the blond. But after a moment, she shrugged. "Whatever! I'll still have a daddy in high places, won't I?" She started off again, entourage in tow.

"I'd be sick again, but I hate to repeat myself!" Kim muttered darkly. Then she sighed, "Still better Bennett Rockwaller then Drew Lipsky, right?"

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"Hey! Doctor D, have you seen this news story off the Internet?"

"Shego! This is a very delicate adjustment I'm making, please...what? Oh, that's just...EEEEEYYYYAAAAAHHHHH!!"

"OOPS! You'd think I'd know better by now, wouldn't you, heh!" Shego grinned sheepishly.

"Yes, one..." Drakken blew the smoke out of his mouth, "..would think you would know better!" He watched ash drift down past his eyes.

"Wasn't that hairpiece supposed to be heat resistant, Doc?"

"Just...just get me another, please! I tell you, Shego, some times I think my life isn't defined by Murphy's Law, it _is_ Murphy's Law!"

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Okay, a little attempt at humor.

Please, Read and Review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

Thanks to King in Yellow, MrDrP, and RedBlueGreen for their reviews.

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The following morning, Doctor Drakken sat in his breakfast nook, chewing a mouthful of cinnamon roll, and perusing the Internet, when Shego walked in with the morning paper. She wore her jogging clothes, as if to imply that she'd been out for her own reasons, and just picked up the paper coming back, rather then that she'd gotten it so she could read it first, and avoid any surprises. Or out of any feeling of guilt for her prank, which was impossible, of course.

"I see I'm still a candidate for Mayor, Shego." Drakken commented after swallowing his mouthful. Sipping some hot chocolate as he continued to read, he swallowed that before continuing. "Rather odd ordinance, though I suppose in it's day, the townspeople felt justified in enacting it. Mayor and Town Marshal, now Chief of Police, can have criminal records, as long as they haven't been convicted in Colorado, now that's ridiculous!"

"Well, the new leading candidate says he'll deal with that 'silly' ordinance as soon as he's in office. Feh, you'd think Geary would have quit, but he just keeps claiming the whole thing was a momentary prank, trying to make his buddies laugh!" Shego grabbed a cinnamon roll and dropped into her own seat as she munched at it.

"Prank or not, it's the image that people object to, Shego. Now, I want you to go to town and withdraw my name from contention, as soon as breakfast is over! And don't ask 'why me' because you know why! Maybe Kim Possible will hear you're in town, and give you a workout, for no good reason, hehe." Drakken smirked at her.

Shego fell afoul of an unwritten law. When your mouth is full and you need to say something, chewing and swallowing take far longer then usual. After managing the feat, she finally replied, "Why bother? Doctor D, there's no way you'd be elected, no matter who you ran against! And why would you imply I need a workout?" She asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Not for any physical reason, Shego, but you haven't had much to do lately, with my plans taking so long to complete. And I agree about the election, generally, but then again, weirder things have happened." He scowled at the computer screen, "Stoppable still hasn't posted a new story, and it's been nearly three weeks! Hm, wonder if the boy's imagination is flagging, since his second 'epic' story, his output has been intermittent, to say the least!"

"Haven't really liked all the stuff he's done since 'So the Drama', myself! I mean, I love his take on the Mathter, I'll bet that lame-o is bouncing off his cell walls, if he's seen it!" She snorted, "But how he heard about Hego and the 'Heroes Cruise' fiasco, I'd love to know!"

"I agree, not such good stuff since 'StD', except he's finally made his relationship with Miss Possible official, two years late, but, I mean, FINALLY!" Drakken finished, flinging both hands in the air, dramatically.

"Yeah, but maybe he didn't want any of us on the dark side to know the truth, earlier? And the only reason you really like 'So the Drama' is because he let you be solo villain, and he pumped your Diablo plot up from 'Grand Theft' to 'World Conquest'!"

Drakken smirked, "Hardly the first time he took one of my minor projects and made such a plot from it! Of course, if I'd ever tried something like that for real, I'd be inviting a visit from SAC! As to keeping their relationship a secret? Please, Shego, even Duff saw it for what it was, the second time they clashed! And he's not the most observant of people in such matters!"

Shego snorted in amusement, "SAC? Are they still in business? Delta Force, more likely! And yeah, Stoppable does make mountains out of molehills, mostly because he can't write about the real mountains, in this case! I can't believe, sometimes, how many Top Secret facilities those two have actually been allowed into! Oh, heh, he certainly made a 'mountain' out of the 'Eric' fiasco, didn't he?"

Drakken scowled, and cast an involuntary glance at a large ventilator grate directly above his workbench, across the cavern from their current seats. "Such a waste! And such a stupid thing to try, with that Load boy always scanning around Kimberley! Exposing my poor drone in less then an hour! Still, I think their response was rather unnecessarily cruel! I still can't understand how they got that sideline bucket up here, filled with Eric's remains! Not to mention how did they get it through that vent!" he gestured emphatically, as if Shego was ignorant of which vent he meant. He noticed Shego snickering, and frowned, rubbing the top of his head, "Those ice cubes _hurt_, Shego!"

"Well, they didn't want poor Eric to spoil on the way here, did they?" She gestured at the newspaper, "By the way, your worthy opponent has said he'd love to debate you, interested?"

Drakken shot her a baleful look, "Shego, please! Me debate a professional salesman? I know a few things about Bennett Rockwaller, I'll have you know! Very canny fellow, in and out of commodities when they're hot. Dot-coms, Real Estate, you name it, he always knows when to get out! You know, he used to own this mountain?"

Shego looked around in surprise. "Seriously?" she winced, "That reminds me, we _have_ to do something about that room you let Eddie use! May I suggest napalm?"

Drakken grinned, "Now, Shego! We might as well leave it as is, and if he asks again, we'll put him back in there! That should take care of Cousin Ed wanting to stay under _our_ roof! As to the mountain, yes, he owned it, couldn't get anyone to develop it, and believes he made a killing when he sold it to Jack Hench. But, he didn't know that Jack wanted it just as is. Cleared out a few caves, connected them with tunnels, and put it on the villain market! Mind you, that was just as Kim Possible made her big time debut, so the price went down a bit, due to location, and he still couldn't unload it for nearly a year, until I came along!" Still grinning, he logged off on the computer, and reached for the paper.

"Yeah, imagine a villain buying a lair within line of sight of his nemesis, who would have thunk it!" Shego held up a hand to forestall Drakken's response, "I know why you did it, Doc, don't repeat yourself again! I'm going to get a shower!"

"And then go to town and withdraw my name, correct?"

Shego made a face. "Doc, again, why bother?" She stood there, a questioning look on her face. When a certain smile appeared on Drakken's face, however, a small twinge occurred in her belly.

"Well, maybe you're right! But, in case you're not, lets make this interesting!" He leaned back in his chair, hands clasped on his chest, "If, somehow, I end up Mayor of Middleton, I'm going to appoint you Chief of Police! And when I do, you are going to actually do the job you're paid for by the citizens!"

Shego stared at him in shock, jaw agape. She had to make an effort to pull herself together. "The job I'm paid to do? Like you'll do the job you're elected to do? Yeah, right!" She was surprised by the intensity of the scowl she received in return.

"Shego, I'm shocked! If I conquer a country, or whatever, I would feel free to act as I choose! But I have strong feelings about the responsibilities of elected officials! If elected, I will, honestly, do the job I'm elected to do!" He broke eye contact to again peruse the paper. "So, it would be best for both of us, if you do as I asked!"

Shego stood frozen for a moment, not sure whether to take the blue scientist seriously. Then she literally shook herself, and glared at him. "All, right, Deal! But, you're _not going to be elected!"_ Then she spun on her heel and stalked out.

After her shower, Shego sat on her bed, staring at her cellphone. Making a face, she picked it up, and was soon talking to someone at City Hall. "Yeah, I was wondering, if someone wants to pull out of an election, they just have to tell you, right? No paperwork or nothing?"

"Oh, my, No!" A nasal female voice answered, "There are seven separate forms to fill out, to officially withdraw!"

Shego winced. "In Triplicate, I suppose?" The nearly maniacal laugh that came in response caused her to hang up abruptly. "Forget that!" She lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "No way he gets elected!"

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"Kim, are you sure you're all right?" Kim's head snapped up and around to stare at Ron. The pair were walking to school, and Kim had been walking as if in a daze for most of the way.

Now she grimaced as she replied, "No Big, Ron! Look, I was three years old, and I became inordinately attached to an inanimate object, okay? I mean, didn't you..." Kim's 'GF instincts' kicked in, reminding her that some questions are better unasked, and she switched her tack. "I mean, I couldn't...I had problems trying to connect with the other kids, I...you remember how much fuss I made when my parents dropped me off at Pre-K? I sounded defiant, but I was actually scared, because day-care had been such a disaster for me! But then, there was no Ron Stoppable there, then." She smiled warmly at him, and hooked her arm through his. "Maybe if there had been, I wouldn't have 'bonded' with Bessie!"

"Be advised, people!" They both jumped at the words coming from behind them, even though the voice was a poor imitation of Steve Barkin. "You are about to enter the no-PDA zone, please stock up on love and affection now, you have six hours before you can get a new supply!"

Kim turned with a grin to look at Monique. "Hmm, a six hour supply all at once? Think I'll be able to avoid walking into walls, or being hauled to the nurse's office for a 'happy drug' test?" Then she frowned, "What are you doing walking? Isn't your brother..."

"Grounded!" Monique replied flatly, her smile vanishing, "Took three friends for a ride, rolled through a stop sign, and the cop found an open container in the vehicle. My brother didn't drink any, but he was driving, so..."

"Ouch! So, no chauffeured rides anymore?"

Monique rolled her eyes. "Please! Listening to his music all the way to class? I'm actually happier afoot, girlfriend!" Then she looked upwards at gray clouds massing overhead, "But this afternoon, my tune may change! Anyway, as I said, got to get your loving now, so go to it, girl!" She crossed her arms over her chest, and began to tap her foot, a stern look on her face.

Kim smirked at her, then turned to Ron. "Well? Got enough for six...no, give me just a bit extra, just in case!" She looked at Monique, "You may want to avert your eyes, to avoid jelling!"

Monique couldn't hold her expression, as the two teens engaged in serious PDA, or as serious as two responsible people could engage in on the street. Ron broke contact making exaggerated efforts to regain his breath, and Kim smacked his chest, blushing red. Then she cast a doubtful eye at him. "Hmmm, was that really six hours worth? I really...oh, snap! There goes three hours down the drain, all at once!" The others turned to see Bonnie Rockwaller cruising past, grinning at them from the passenger seat of her father's white Jaguar.

As soon as the car disappeared around the corner, Ron wrapped an arm around Kim's shoulders, "Nevermind, we'll just have to come up with a cunning plan to restock you with Ronshine, somewhere around lunchtime?" he asked, with his best goofy smile beaming at her.

She returned the smile, but her response was half-hearted. "I just have a real bad feeling about this whole election business, sorry! What really scares me is that for a moment, I actually wished Doctor Drakken would win, just as long as Bonnie's dad didn't!"

Monique laughed, slapping Kim lightly on the shoulder. "Girlfriend, you have a serious conflict of interests going there!" Kim responded with a wry grin, shaking her own head.

The trio rounded the corner and headed towards one of the side entrances of the school, to avoid the crowd disembarking from buses at the front. Almost immediately, something drew Kim's attention. She almost groaned. "Can they be any more obvious!"

Ron followed her gaze and groaned. "KP, I swear, I haven't put anything in my stories lately that wasn't approved! Or, do you think they're running another security check on us, because of your dad's work?"

Monique shook her head. "Guys, people in real life do actually buy large black vans for other reasons then conducting surveillance on other people! Besides, that one looks kinda expensive."

The object of their interest was indeed a large, black van, with heavily tinted windows concealing whoever might be within. It was parked under some trees, just off school property, across from the athletics field.

Ron studied it critically. "Hmmm, we need more info!" He reached in his pants pocket, and scooped out a sleeping Rufus. "Hey, Buddy!" The molerat opened one eye, clearly perturbed. "Need you for a scouting mission, right over there!" Rufus' open eye followed Ron's pointing finger, and he suddenly perked up as he saw the target. He was fully awake before Ron set him on the ground, and he scampered off towards the van. "He'll meet us by the door, guys, let's keep walking, so as not to arouse suspicion." The girls exchanged wry looks, then followed him across to the school.

Rufus rejoined them as promised as they waited at the door. "What have we got, Buddy?" Ron asked, dropping to one knee. Rufus dropped to all fours, pawing the ground with his forelegs, then rearing up on his hind legs. "Lots of horsepower, check!" Rufus stood upright, flexing his muscles, then bouncing up and down. "Heavy-Duty suspension, check!" The molerat remained upright, and feigned talking, while making elegant gestures with his paws.

Kim frowned. "What's that mean?"

"Rich Corinthian Leather! Or fancy upholstery, anyway! Probably smelled it, he couldn't get inside, sorry!" Kim stood there blinking for a moment, then shook her head. "We need to get to class, guys! We'll find out more about that van later. I have the license plate number, we'll give it to Wade!" She gave the suspicious vehicle a long look, before turning and entering the school.

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The vehicle was still there, in plain sight through the cafeteria windows, when they had their lunch break. Well, sort of in plain sight. Because of it's height, they could see it's roof over the intervening vehicles, even Mister Barkin's SUV. Kim regarded it sourly as she picked at her food, half-listening to Ron. Wade hadn't come through on the license plate, yet. He was always wary accessing the DMV computer. Kim checked her watch and frowned.

"What's wrong, KP?" Ron asked.

"Can't call Wade right now, busy with piano lessons!"

"Whoa, Girlfriend!" Monique exclaimed as she joined them, "Wade takes piano lessons?"

"Nope," Ron replied, grinning widely, "He gives them! Computer keys aren't the only ones he can play sweet music on! Actually, his mom made him give lessons, or give recitals, you know which he chose!"

"Never put that in your stories, but then again, I can guess why!"

Ron's face sobered immediately. "I never reveal my friends' secrets without their permission! Well, usually! And telling peeps about Wade and those lessons would have dire consequences, I assure you!" His eyes narrowed, "But, I can trust you, right?"

Monique smirked, "We'll see, Potential Boy!"

Ron smacked his forehead, "Ouch! Why did I ever, ever, put that in print!" He glanced at Kim, and saw her still frowning, not paying attention to the two's antics. "KP, you're getting obsessed with things awful easily lately!"

"Still fixated on that van, huh?" Monique asked. "Not fixated!" Kim muttered, but her eyes remained on the vehicle.

Ron rolled his eyes. "At least, I'm pretty sure I'm not responsible for it! Haven't put any Government secrets in more stories at all, lately! Haven't mentioned WWEE, or Nanomoths, or the location of...oops!" Kim was glaring at him. "Oh, right! _You_ were the one that wanted me never to mention nano...right!" He finished, a fine sheen of sweat on his brow.

Monique bit her lip, suppressing a grin. But she couldn't let it pass. "Ever find out who made those little pests?" Kim darted her a dark look, but Ron answered her anyway. "Nah! Not really surprised, for two reasons! One, they were a pretty lame gimmick..." Kim muttered something like "Wouldn't have thought so, if you'd been there!", as Ron continued, "Two, don't think anyone wants Kim to find out who to blame for...all that...inconvenience?" Ron's hesitation was caused by the glacial stare he was receiving from his girlfriend.

"Hold it, just a moment!" Monique raised both hands in a placating gesture, "Sorry to keep picking at a sore subject, but if you weren't there, Ron, then who _was_ Kim trapped with, by those things?" She watched a mildly panicked expression begin to creep onto Ron's face, but Kim's gaze drifted away to scan the room, her frown turning quizzical as she did. "Where's Queen Bee?"

"Wherever her entour..." Monique broke off as she saw Tara sitting with Hope and Page from the cheerleader squad, as well as Dina Watts, who was tutoring her in Math. A few tables away, two more of Bonnie's usual cronies sat chatting. "Hmmm, the girl does seem to be AWOL! She get in any trouble, before lunch?"

"Not that I heard." Kim replied. She leaned back in her chair and sighed loudly, "Guys, I'm sorry about not being good company, I'm getting upset far too easily the last couple of days, I don't know why!"

"Could it be something best not discussed in male company?" Monique asked, nodding towards Ron, whose eyes narrowed briefly, before popping wide as he devoted his full attention to his food.

Kim grinned. "No, don't think so! Just one of those times, I think, when too many things are going right, and I start expecting something to go _way_ wrong, to balance my karma!" She sat back up and began to attack her food. "It's nothing, it'll pass!" But she kept casting glances out the window at the black van as she ate.

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"Sorry, Kim, but the van's registered to a small business in Upperton, not an individual!" Wade's shrugged apologetically from the screen of the battery-powered computer terminal in Kim's hall locker, "I'm trying to trace ownership of the company, carefully, to avoid another visit from the Cybercrimes guys. I think they like coming here, though, Mom always loads them up with cookies, but still, rather not trip over any covert government agencies, you know?"

Kim smiled back at him. "No Big, Wade, just do your best to find out, without breaking any laws, 'kay? Later!" As she closed her locker, she heard a voice coming from around the corner.

"What makes you think you'll get a sports car, like Connie and Lonnie? Now that your dad's running for office, he may have to look conservative. You'll probably get a VW, or a hybird!"

"Oooooo! Don't say that, you little..." Came Bonnie's voice. The frustration in it made Kim even more curious to see who she was addressing. And besides, she was going that way, anyhow! So she stepped around the corner, and stopped cold. "Who's that?" She asked quietly. Bonnie was confronting a younger girl, who looked too young even to be a freshman, but not much. Dark blond, she wore jeans and a 'Zombegeddon 3' T-Shirt, but despite the disparity in age, matched Bonnie in height.

"That's Gina Leo!" "She's the daughter of the new safety manager at the Space Center!" "She's a freshman, and she's accelerated, too!" The highly unwelcome voices of her twin brothers behind her nearly made Kim jump, but years of practice allowed her to hold herself to a slight twitch of one shoulder. She turned to regard the banes of her homelife with a jaundiced eye. "And you know so much about..." A slightly wicked grin twitched at her lips, "...a rather pretty girl your own age, why?"

The reddening faces and embarrassed looks made her feel both elated, and a bit guilty, both at once. 'What! I just heard..." Tim sputtered. "Pretty? She's a stork! I mean..." A crafty look came to Jim's eyes, "...she's taller then you, already, and she's way younger!"

Kim's face began to darken, but she forced herself to remain calm. _"Ouch! Nice riposte, there!"_ She smiled sweetly, "Oh, I see! The height thing is an issue with you!" As both boys began to try and answer at once, the other thought swirling in her head came into focus. "Wait! How come she gets to talk to Queen Bee that way?"

"Um, maybe because Mrs Leo's maiden name is Rockwaller?" Jim replied.

Kim grimaced. _"Great! The Tweebs are interested in a girl related to Bonnie...Oh, No Way! That means, if it's not just a crush...calm down, deep breath, you're letting your imagination run away with you, Possible!" _The bell signaling the start of the next period brought her back to the present, to find herself alone in the hallway. "Oh, Snap!" She dashed down the hall towards science class.

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"Uh, huh, I know all about her!" Monique told Kim, as they sat on the bleachers in the gymnasium after classes. Cheerleader practice was scheduled, but something was keeping Bonnie. "Her Mom's an ex-beach volleyball player, Dad played lineman in the NFL, six seasons, I think. That's where the height comes from! And why are you interested in a new freshman, may I inquire?"

"No reason, really! Wait, her mom was Samantha Leo, you mean? She played indoor volleyball first, she was on an Olympic squad, once, I remember her! Didn't know she was related to the Rockwallers, though, you'd think her brother might have trotted her out for his last campaign. I wondered about the newspaper calling him a 'fresh' candidate, but now I remember, he ran for councilman last time, against Mrs Delmonico. I remember Ron's mom filling her seat during her deployment overseas. And Mister Rockwaller saying she won because 'war heroes' were big. She didn't even go near a war!"

"Bonnie's dad said that in public?" Monique looked shocked.

Kim suddenly looked nervous. "Not exactly, no." She glanced at Monique, whose inquiring look didn't appear like to relent. "Heh, I overheard it while looking for a way to pay back Bonnie for a prank she pulled, which made me have to cut my hair short, which are all the details you're getting from me!"

Monique didn't appear to be deterred by that statement, but then another thought struck her. "Oh! Speaking of hair, Someone put a couple of small braids in Bonnie's, with ribbons! She didn't have them this morning in Social Studies, but I spotted them on her in Math class, later! And, they weren't the kind you do yourself, I'm telling you!"

Kim tried to recall her sight of Bonnie and her cousin earlier. There had been something blue at the back of her head, bouncing a bit as she sputtered ineffectually at the younger girl. _"Okay, obviously she did it during lunch period, but why skip eating, just to have a middle of the day hair makeover?"_

"Miss Possible! A word, please!" She snapped out of her musings to see Mister Barkin standing in front of the bleachers, surrounded by the rest of the squad, save Bonnie. Their expressions ranged from depressed to quietly happy. Kim descended quickly to the floor and stood in front of Mister Barkin expectantly.

"Miss Rockwaller will not be joining you today, she was late to her first class after lunch, without a reasonable excuse! You'll have to practice without her. If she doesn't repeat such behavior tomorrow, she'll be free to join you! Carry on!" With that, he spun on his heel and walked away.

"_Hmmm, the day sure went downhill for Bonnie fast! I saw her with her cousin before fifth period, so that wasn't when she was late. Late getting her hair done? __She's not __that__ obsessed with her looks!"_ Kim became aware that the squad was waiting for her to say something. "Oh! Sorry, daydreaming there! Okay, we have to do our routines the way we would if Bonnie was sick! Page, you're stepping up to Bonnie's place! Hope, you're..."

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If Don Haggler had a better temper, the disaster wouldn't have happened.

But Don, standing in the end zone to receive a practice kick-off, muffed the ball, and not for the first time that afternoon. Ron Stoppable, standing alongside him as the ball went through his hands cleanly, winced in sympathy. Then Don spun around and kicked the ball as hard as he could, away from the field.

He got good height on the kick, which soared cleanly through the air, directly towards the black van. Until a small turret popped up, and disintegrated it with a pair of bright red laser beams.

Ron and Don stared at the puff of smoke that had been a football for a moment, then Ron spun and dashed towards the gym. "KP!"

Minutes later, Kim and Ron strode boldly towards the van's rear door, Kim holding her Kimmunicator in front of her, watching it's screen as it swept for whatever triggered the lasers. She was still wearing her cheerleader outfit, of course, and Ron his football gear. A crowd of interested students followed, kept at a reasonable distance by Steve Barkin.

Kim nodded at what the scan was showing her. "It looks like there's a scanner, all right, but it only sweeps at the level of the roof, and above! Nothing at ground level, except..." she stopped. Ron didn't, immediately, taking two steps past her before suddenly jumping back. "Yow!" "A low-yield static screen, probably to keep small pests away! Guess it wasn't on when Rufus did his recon this morning!" Kim finished.

She studied the van, puzzled by the lack of response to both activations of it's security systems. "Maybe it's empty, system on to protect it from vandals?" She wondered aloud, doubtfully. "One way to find out!" She brought up the Kimmunicator's 'Intrusion' menu, and picked a program to scan the locking system. She gritted her teeth, and stepped through the static field, taking the mild shock in stride. She was focused on what the readouts were showing her, when she felt Ron step up behind her. Right behind her, very close. "Ron, what are you doing?"

"KP, static cling and cheerleader uniforms are _so_ not a good combination!"

Kim's face went red, as she felt around at her back, trying to find the hem of her skirt. After a quick adjustment, and a moment to regain her composure, she resumed her study of the locking mechanism. "Ahem! The mechanical lock is a fake, just a way to set off the alarm system, actually! Actual locking mechanism is completely electrical, and it's not even a challenge!" She switched programs, pointing the device at the door, while taking hold of one handle. Ron grabbed the other. "Ready?" Ron nodded, "Set!" a click sounded, "Go!" And they flung both doors wide, preparing to react to whatever they might find inside.

Both teens froze in shock, just before an ear-splitting screech filled the air, all the windows in Barkin's SUV shattered, and the sound of the vehicle's alarm system added itself to the cacophony.

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Still in her cheerleader outfit, Kim briskly swept the broken glass, or rather _powdered_ glass, into a neat pile, as Ron stood by with a dustpan. "I mean, Who'd have thought, that Bonnie and Senor Senior Junior both screaming together would produce the sound necessary to shatter bulletproof safety glass?" Ron wondered aloud.

"Yes.." Kim responded sarcastically, "..my parents would be so proud to know I'm exploring the limits of science myself, these days!" She cast a baleful glance at the pair in question. They stood outside the open doors of the van, cowering beneath the combined glares of Steve Barkin, Principal Cooley, and Bennett Rockwaller. Both were still wearing the blue smocks they'd been wearing while giving each other shampoos in the rear of the van, which looked like a mobile beauty salon inside. Which in fact, it was.

"Good thing that Bonnie's hands were so slippery, I don't know if you could have dodged that nail file, you were so shocked!" Ron observed, noting the object in question, embedded in the right front tire of Principal Cooley's old Chevy Nova.

"'It might have been merciful if it had killed me'" Kim intoned, then shook her head. "I really don't know who's day went worse, mine or Bonnie's!"

"Yeah!" Ron responded, as he positioned the dustpan for Kim to sweep the glass into, "And worse for her tomorrow, I think four of the cheerleaders got pictures with their phones, at least one of them will be on the 'net tomorrow, I'll bet!" As Kim winced, wondering if someone got one of her bout of Static cling, Ron continued, "Wonder if this'll have any effect on the election?"

Kim made a face. "Ron, what could Bonnie and Junior beautifying each other...yuck! I hate even saying that! Anyway, how could that have any bearing on the election?"

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Doctor Drakken was up first the next morning. Even though he knew Shego would probably fetch the paper out of guilt for at least one more day, he chose to seek it himself. The new deliveryperson apparently still felt well disposed towards them, as it sat directly in front of the entrance.

Drakken picked it up, removed it from it's wrapper, and looked at the front page. Over a large image of Bonnie and Junior outside the van, ran the headline:

"**Candidate's Daughter in intimate situation with son of known supervillain! Does candidate Rockwaller have connections with international crime?"**

Drakken rolled the paper back up, returned it to it's wrapper, and then stepped to one side of the entrance and slung it into the skunk den. He then slipped back inside the lair and back to his bedroom, shaking his head in disbelief.

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Please, Read and Review.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

Thanks to King in Yellow, MrDrP, Robert Teague, and RedBlueGreen for their reviews.

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Later the same morning, Doctor Drakken sat studying the Internet. The still-wrapped, rolled-up newspaper sat on the table, and he cast the occasional glance at it. He also kept a wary eye on the opposite side of the table, where Shego was eating, and passing little bits of food to a young adult skunk, who was perched on the table. _"Gnnn! I want to ask soooo badly, but I just can't!"_

Something on his computer screen caught his eye. "MinionCo?" he read aloud. Shego looked up, a faint scowl on her face. "Huh?"

"Some organization calling itself 'MinionCo', it's an advertisement. Seems to offer the same sort of items as HenchCo, but at much more reasonable prices." He smiled in anticipation.

Shego snorted, and went back to eating. "Probably Jack pulling an inventory clearout scam, look for small print."

Drakken looked dubious. "Small print? I don't see any visible, why would Jack...wait a moment." He was studying an illustration of a submarine. Though advertised as a modern, nuclear powered boat, it had the old style false, level deck on top of it's rounded hull, lined with holes to allow water to drain out from underneath it. Drakken focused his attention on the row of holes. "Hmmm, Maximum magnification...switch to grayscale...refine shade discrimination...Ah! There we are, one letter in each hole! They say, hmm, 'Buyer responsible for transport and delivery of all purchases!'" He made a face, "You're right, it's Jack, all right! And that fusion reactor is so reasonably priced!" he added, mournfully.

Shego smirked. "Well, you can always ask Eddie to pick it up and deliver it for you!" She clicked her tongue at the skunk, who looked at her quizzically.

Drakken grimaced. "Shego, please! Letting him get his hands on that kind of power source? I don't want to be responsible for the world's first fusion-powered Monster Truck!"

"Second." Shego replied, as she took a bite out of a bagel with cream cheese.

Drakken gave her a puzzled look. "Really? Who has one already?" He had to wait patiently for Shego to chew and swallow before he got his answer.

"Slim Possible, he built one for his daughter to learn to drive with. No way she can get hurt driving it, the thing's a tank on big wheels, I hear! Mind you, don't think she'll be practicing on city streets, not sure he can afford the outcome of that!"

Drakken frowned in confusion. "But isn't she a little young to start driving?"

"Oh, yeah! Three or four years away, _whatever_ will Slim do with that beast until then?" Shego asked, a cheshire grin on her face.

"Break it in for her?" Drakken deadpanned. "Well, better not let Eddie hear about it, he'll want to build his own..." a cunning look appeared on his face, "Or steal the original!"

"Doctor D, are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

He regarded her defiantly. "And what if I am?" he asked, with a cocksure grin.

She grinned back, "Go for it!"

Loosing a gleeful cackle, Drakken brought up his E-Mail, and began composing a message. "Don't lay it on too thick, Doctor D!" Shego admonished him. He gave her a weary look, "Shego, we are talking about Cousin Ed! Just printing 'Fusion, Monster Truck, Slim Possible'; should be more than sufficient! However, I'll give him a bit more to chew on." He finished typing, and sent the message. However, something made him frown. "Hmmm, several messages have gotten past my spam filter!"

"Whoa! Doesn't your spam filter block everything?" Shego grinned, while concentrating on scratching her new friend under the chin. When she didn't receive a reply, she looked up to see her boss glaring at the screen. "Something bad?"

"You decide, Shego!" Drakken clicked his mouse, and a familiar voice emanated from the computer's speakers.

"Running for office? Oh, Drewbie, the girls at the club are so envious! My little boy, going into the political arena! Why, you could have knocked me.." Drakken cut the message off, but didn't delete it. He'd eventually have to listen to the whole thing, just in case, but not now. "Next, we have this!" Drakken clicked again.

"Mister Lipsky, our inquiries show you have no declared political affiliation. As Chairman of the State's Republican Party, I would like you to consider..." Drakken hit the 'delete' key, as Shego cried, "Wait, I wanted to hear which party he wanted you to join!" Then she noticed her skunk friend had his back up, and was hissing at the computer speaker. _"Hmmm, knows a rival when he hears one?"_

"Very funny, Shego!" Drakken snapped, "Lets see if you find the last one as amusing!"

Shego recoiled as the voice of DNAmy burst from the speakers. "Oh, Drewkins! As a registered voter, and resident of Middleton, I can assure you, _You've..got..my...VOTE!"_ As Amy's cheerful voice hit the height of her register, a sudden breeze caused Shego to twist around and watch a patch of white vanishing down the entrance tunnel. "Oh, well, that's the end of a beautiful friendship!" She turned back to Drakken and shrugged, "Okay, I get it! I'll go down and do the paperwork to get you out of this mess as soon as breakfast is done!"

Drakken scowled, shaking his head. "I wish you could, but there isn't time!" At Shego's quizzical look, he elaborated, "Zurich, remember?"

Shego smacked her forehead. "Damn! Is that today?"

Drakken nodded. "Well, today's the day we have to start, anyway. We've got to obtain our target during the brief period it's being transported between two highly secure locations! We need to get there and scout the area more thoroughly then we can from here. So go pack, while I make sure the henchmen know to take the recycle stuff to the landfill while we're gone!"

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Ron was preoccupied as he and Kim walked to school. Recognizing his creative mind at work, probably on a new story, Kim contented herself with calling Wade for conversation.

"The van was built to accompany Junior's 'inevitable' American tour as a teen pop sensation, Kim. It was designed to be as large as possible, while capable of being driven into a stadium and parked next to the stage. The Lasers were supposed to protect him from flying objects! Um, specifically, 'unhygienic female undergarments and hotel room keys which might strike my face!', or at least, that's Junior's story!"

Kim rolled her eyes, "Sounds like Junior!"

"Kim? Are you serious, about not wanting to be Homecoming Queen?" Ron asked, distractedly.

Kim shook her head, smiling. Ron had obviously missed the whole conversation with Wade. "Hello! Yes, I'm serious, I have enough _real_ responsibilities, without having to deal with all the hassle of being Queen, as well! Why, what are you thinking of, some kind of story about Bonnie and Junior?"

Ron's came out of his distracted state, as he smiled at her. "You got me! But, I wonder how they _did _meet?"

"Actually, the answer to that is quite simple, Ron Stoppable!" The voice of Senor Senior Senior coming from right behind them made both teens jump, then spin around as they dropped into fighting stances. And came back out of them again, as they saw a spherical drone hovering in front of them, a video screen broadcasting the image of their gentlemanly foe. "I am actually surprised to some extent by your ignorance! Last spring, my son heard the adage, 'Know thine Enemy!', and decided to follow it! He went 'undercover', in his words, at your school, for nearly a week!" There seemed to be a little pride in his smile as he related this.

Both teens shook their heads in denial, "No way!" They both exclaimed, and Ron this time beat Kim to the 'Jinx', before she continued, "There's no way Junior was in our school for a week, without us knowing!"

Triple-S shook his head sadly, "Unfortunately, his timing was poor! The week he was there, the pair of you were, I believe, detained in the quarantine ward of the primary Global Justice Medical facility, due to something you were exposed to on a mission?"

Ron and Kim both made sour faces as they remembered. "Oh, Man! Don't remind me! Locked up all by myself, no PDA, needles, needles, and more needles! The bland food, no Rufus, having to eat on a schedule! What?" Ron ended his rant, seeing Kim scowling at him, arms crossed.

She began ticking off items on her fingers. "The Big screen plasma TV, the three game systems to choose from, all those game mods the GJ computer guys came up with that you got to try out, including a few your parents wouldn't be too happy about?" She sighed, "And what was I doing? MY schoolwork, that's what! And then you wanted me to back up your excuse to Mister Barkin? When he's the one who supplied GJ with our homework assignments? Ron, I..." her shoulders slumped, "I don't know why I let that stew inside me all this time! I'm the one who said we needed to be honest when we were ticked off at each other, but I'm the one holding it in!"

Ron took a moment to order his thoughts, before responding, "It's No Big, KP. I know I'm not the easiest guy to get along with, especially for a girl like you! But, I'm getting better, aren't I?" He asked, with a tentative smile.

Kim shook her head, smiling faintly. "WE'RE getting better! At least, we're adjusting to each other, we're..." Then her eyes popped wide, and she spun back to Triple-S's drone. "Um, hey! What exactly did _you_ want with us, anyway?"

"Ah! Well, my son has turned off his cellphone, and I am anxious for news of his circumstance! Is he to be charged with anything unsavory, with regards to the young woman?"

"Oh! Um, as far as I know, shampoos, manicures, pedicures, etcetera, aren't illegal for minors to engage in without parental consent! The eyebrow waxing...nevermind! The heavily armed beauty salon on wheels, that's a problem, I think!"

"That I can deal with! Now, if you should see Junior hanging about, inform him that I want to talk to him, I've had to cancel several lessons from very expensive instructors due to his obsessions! I insist that he limit himself to one, the girl, or the career! I would be grateful if you were to convey this message at the earliest opportunity! Now, this drone will self-destruct in ten seconds! No, no, just a poor attempt at jest! Be well, Kim Possible, I look forwards to our next encounter in the eternal struggle between good and evil!" The video screen folded away, and the drone shot vertically into the air, tracked by both teens until it was out of sight.

"Nice Tech!" Wade's voice came from the still-active Kimmunicator, "And I got great scans of it!"

"Spankin, Wade! I'd definitely like to know if he uses one of those to spy on me, so find a way to detect them, Please and Thank You!" Before she could sign Wade off, Kim looked up and spotted Monique, ahead of them this morning, standing with her arms crossed, as she stared at something currently out of their line of sight. But Kim guessed what it was even before they reached her. "It's still here?"

The black van still sat parked in the same space, cordoned off, and surrounded by official vehicles. At least two bomb-disposal robots were visible, one smoking and sparking forlornly. Someone had built a small sandbag 'bunker' near the van's open rear doors, and men and women in full tactical armor were all around it.

"Uh huh! They haven't rendered it 'safe' yet! Bunch of automated systems inside, though not all lethal. But that poor, poor, man!" Seeing Kim's concerned look, she sadly shook her head, "Went in there with a buzz cut, came out with a two-inch perm! Had to cover all reflective surfaces until they had him in the ambulance!" She grinned at Kim's cross look, "You think I'm kidding? See that woman over there?" She pointed to one officer who sat on the ground, knees drawn up with her arms wrapped around them, pounding her forehead against her kneecaps. "She rushed right up to the boss, asking him to send her in, but the guy being led away told her not to go in, there was something in there labeled 'Brazilian' something or other, and the poor girl lost her nerve, sad."

Kim gave her a skeptical, and mildly ill, look, and she snickered. "Okay, I embellish a bit, but not much, girlfriend! They're finding some freaky stuff in that rig! The sooner it's out of there, the safer I'll feel! About my life, and my hairstyle! Oh, one guy said something about fumes from _Le Goop _mixing with some kind of aftershave, making people a little lightheaded."

Kim snorted. "Really? Well, can't use that as an excuse for the way Junior acts! I mean, how long has he been using that stuff?"

"Well, this may give you a clue, Kim!" Wade's voice broke in. Kim started, she'd forgotten the Kimmunicator was still on. "Got a picture of Junior as a kid, and he looks 'gooped' to me!" An image appeared on the screen, and Ron and Monique both crowded close to see it. "How old is he in this picture?!" Kim asked incredulously.

"Old enough to have hair long enough to style, obviously!" Monique commented, "But just barely!"

"Apparently his Mom used it on him first." Wade informed them, "And he became 'hooked' on the stuff. Oh, he started with the original formula, which they don't make since the Animal Rights Activists nailed the company good!" Kim decided that was a question she didn't want to ask.

"But, did Junior act as weird when he was young?" Ron asked.

Wade looked uncomfortable. "Well, I found this clip on WhoTube, but I haven't had time to screen it yet. Supposed to be him in a talent contest, at age 8. Comes with this attached: 'Warning, this is before his voice broke!'"

A sense of foreboding came over Kim, but before she could speak, Ron piped up, "Well, let's see it, Wadester!" Kim winced, then sighed in resignation.

"Okay, here goes!" Wade's face disappeared, to be replaced by the image of young Junior standing on a stage, illuminated by at least two spotlights. He cleared his throat, and announced, in a _very_ high-pitched voice, "And now, I will perform my rendition of 'Rio', by Duran Duran!"

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High on the mountain, Shego loaded her overnight bag into a hovercraft grounded outside the lair entrance. Drakken emerged from the lair, patting his pockets. "Hope I didn't forget my motion-sickness pills!" Seeing a suspicious look in Shego's eyes, he grimaced, "The new stabilization system will work just fine, Shego! But these Atlantic crossings always...Do you hear something odd?"

Shego swiveled around, a frown on her face, then looked down towards Middleton. She nodded, slowly. "Dogs howling. A whole lot of dogs howling, in fact!"

Drakken scowled, "It had better not be another supervillain attacking Possible! The new Union rules specifically state that I can claim the area surrounding..."

"Yeah, yeah, Doc! Territoriality, I get it! But we're villains, what are rules to us? Anyway, get in, let's get this show on the road, Switzerland awaits! And I officially authorize you to say anything necessary to deter me if I try and walk into a chocolate shop, without fear of retaliation! Not letting you blame me again, if the engines sound 'strained' on the way back!"

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Being very inconsistent with regard to chapter length, aren't I?

Well, Please Read and Review.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

Thanks to King in Yellow, Katasumara, Screaming Phoenix, CajunBear72, Michael Howard, Reader101w, Feudor, and BlazeStryker for their reviews of CHapter 3.

Ron was in the middle of a little online research when Kim called with the invitation.

_**"BATTLE OF MIDDLETON, COLORADO,** July 6th, 1861-Inconclusive skirmish occurring in the early months of the **American Civil War **between pro-Union and pro-Confederacy factions in the **Colorado Territory**._

_On June 17th, 1861, **Alexander Hamilton Rockwaller, **a former captain of militia and supporter of States' Rights, though not slavery, called for all like-minded Coloradans to travel to Middleton and assemble at his home. His intention, according to his papers, was then to lead them by whatever route necessary to join the Confederacy's regular forces, probably in Missouri._

_However, apparently unaware of that fact, and believing Rockwaller intended to spread the fighting to Colorado and seize the territory in the name of the Confederacy, **Andrew Jackson Geary,** Rockwaller's replacement as local militia captain, ordered the militia to assemble to disperse the rebels. Finding that many militiamen had joined Rockwaller instead, he put out a general call for men throuhout the region. In addition, he notified Major General **John C. Fremont**, then commanding the Union **Department of the West**, and for whom Geary had campaigned in the 1856 Presidential race, of his intentions. Fremont responded by expressing his faith in Geary's ability to handle the situation, and stating that he had no troops to spare to send to Colorado to aid Geary._

_By July 3rd, neither side had assembled more then one hundred men. A truce for the observance of Independence Day was brokered. On the 5th, a thunderstorm that lasted most of the day prevented any action, which was not to have been a battle, as far as the Rockwaller faction was concerned, but instead a departure from the Middleton area altogether._

_Sometime on the evening of the 5th, however, an unknown incident occurred that inflamed the pro-Confederacy force, and caused them to pressure Rockwaller into at least advancing against the Union base of operations, a ramshackle hotel on the northern outskirts of the town. In response, Rockwaller assembled them before dawn on the 6th and began to march around the town, using the woods that bordered the town on the western side to conceal his movements from prying eyes._

_However, Geary had also chosen to move that morning, and chose to skirt the town on the eastern side to avoid the selfsame woods for fear of an ambush. As a result, both sides found themselves occupying their opponent's base without opposition late in the morning. After brief euphoria on both sides in the belief that their opponents had fled, both learned the true circumstances shortly before noon, and again set out to confront each other. This occurred east of the town, with both sides halting outside the effective range of the muskets most were armed with and forming up._

_At this point the two captains initiated a parley, and met between the lines, accompanied by their sergeants. After a brief talk, the sergeants returned to their respective lines. There exist conflicting accounts of what happened next, but shots were suddenly exchanged, followed by full volleys. In this exchange both captains were killed, being still between the lines, and roughly twelve more men were wounded. Then both sides broke from their lines and went to ground, exchanging desultory fire for a further hour before both sides withdrew, with no clear record of who retreated first. Later in the day the pro-Confederacy force left Middleton, marching southward as they had originally planned, leaving the 'battle' a debatable Union victory."_

Ron pushed his chair back from the desk, brow furrowed. "That's all?" He looked incredulously at Rufus. "Two guys died, and they called it a 'battle'? Okay, maybe these guys were important then...let's see..." He clicked on the names of the two captains in turn, accessing the embedded links. "Hmm, Mister Rockwaller was rich even then, and it says he campaigned for, um, Stephen A. Douglas? Who did he run against?" Rufus rolled his eyes. Sometimes his owner couldn't make the simplest connections...and other times he could connect the strangest things together.

"Hmm, Mister Geary was a Republican, but supported somebody named _Salmon_? Uh, Salmon P. Chase. But Geary campaigned for Lincoln...ohhhh! He supported Chase until Lincoln beat him for the nomination, then supported Lincoln, who beat Douglas, I get it!" He sat back with a satisfied grin, and Rufus nodded approvingly. "But, where does Mister Barkin come into this? Drakken suggested I ask him, and I thought there might be more to it then Mister B being a teacher?" Rufus shrugged. He was a Mole Rat, what did Ron expect, an endless fount of knowledge?

Then Ron's phone rang. He sprang up and dove onto the bed to reach it before the second ring. "Ron Stoppable, Esquire, speaking." He said in a snooty tone.

"Hey Ron." Came Kim's voice.

"KP!" Ron rolled over and pushed himself up into a sitting position against the headboard. "What's up, oh mighty BFGF?"

"Oh, was wondering if you felt like a little trip to a nice Caribbean island, that's all."

Ron sat upright, smile somehow widening even further. "We have Mission sign?" The fact that Kim hesitated before answering told him what he needed to know.

"No, Ron, this is just a little trip to get some sun, basically. Leave tomorrow, stay Saturday, then get back for school on Monday. Bernie and Shego are arranging it, Bernie's going to be chaperon, as far as the parents are concerned. Monique, Bonnie, and Tara have already signed on."

Ron's face contorted comically through a moment of panic followed by a teeth-baring grimace. "Uh, tomorrow, you say? Um, I was planning to go see Brick in the hospital tomorrow, and do some historical research."

"Oh." Kim replied abashedly. "I hadn't thought of going to see...historical research?" The tone of her voice shifted to curiosity mixed with a hint of suspicion, but Ron was on solid ground here.

"Yep, finding out all about the Battle of Middleton, KP!" he declared boastfully, then held his breath as he waited for her reply.

"Oh! That's right, I remember that being mentioned during the mission." She paused thoughtfully. "So, you don't mind me going off without you?" She asked in a manner that had Ron thinking of various metaphors concerning minefields as he chose his reply.

"Well, I mind, but I already know better then to insist on being with you twenty-four seven, KP. Er, I mean spending every waking moment together." He corrected himself hastily, then winced, "I mean, even when we're married, I can't, or we can't..or.."

"Ron, Ron, I get it! Somewhere in there might actually be a mature observation trying to find expression, but I'll settle for you just telling me I'm not hurting your feelings by going without you, please and thank you!" Exasperation shifted to contrition as she spoke.

Ron sighed audibly as he replied "Kim, you won't hurt my feelings, I promise, if all you want is some time with the girls. I know I can't be everything for you, but I'll be everything I can be, I swear to you."

He could hear the smile in her voice as she replied. "Totally don't need you to say that, but it's nice to hear anyway. Well, I need to get some sleep because I need to get up early and get ready. Take care of yourself. Love you, Ron."

"Love you, KP, always will." He replied. When he heard the click of Kim hanging up, he let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. Looking at Rufus, he grinned widely. "THAT was a close one, buddy! An all-girls weekend? A fate worse then being denied spicy food! Glad I had a good excuse for passing on it, didn't want to hurt Kim's feelings, but you do realize what a disaster that trip could have been? I mean, remember the cheer team trips?"

Rufus nodded in sage like approval. It was good to see his master could learn from his mistakes.

"And tomorrow, after I visit Brick, I'm going to head over to Mister B's and ask him about the Battle of Middleton." Ron stated decisively.

Rufus hid his dismay well, then shrugged philosophically. After all, two steps forward and one back was still some sort of progress...

00000000

"You're kidding me!" Anne Possible declared as soon as she'd washed the toothpaste from her mouth to avoid spraying it all over her husband. She turned to where he leaned on the door frame, a wan smile on his face. "Drew wants us to be there when he proposes marriage?"

James shrugged. "Well, we are friends with Eileen, and he needs a little moral support..." His finish was a touch lame, but Anne let it pass.

"If it wasn't for the fact I'm still absorbing the knowledge that she and Drew have been romantically involved, and now, that they're going to be _parents_, I think I'd handle that suggestion better!" She declared. She sighed "I know why you didn't tell me yesterday, it was Drew's secret after all, but this is quite a lot to take in at once!" Then she smiled "But of course I'll go. I want a word with Eileen, see if she knows exactly what she's getting into."

James nodded. "I thought you would. But for the record, Eileen has apparently known all about Drew for longer then he even knew. In fact, she was fully aware of his status before she contacted Wade to contrive their getting together." He trailed after Anne as she exited the bathroom after turning off the light, then headed for their bed.

Anne smiled. "That part of the story..." then she scowled thoughtfully "Though the thought that Ron believed it was a good idea to take her to Drew's lair? I guess he knew Drew well enough to know how it'd work out, but that seems very strange when you think about it." She got into bed and sighed. "James, do you think it's a good idea? I mean, them getting married?"

James got under the covers as he shrugged. "They're consenting, mature adults...Drew at least ninety percent of the time these days, Eileen has always been mature, so it's their choice, we have to respect that." He shook his head slowly. "It was a big surprise to me that she liked Drew, to tell you the truth." Seeing the odd look Anne was giving him, "What?"

"You didn't hear all the details of the accident that blinded her? No, I guess not, you were in Florida at the Cape at the time..." She paused for a moment as James waited expectantly. "It's just that, it occurred late in the evening when everyone should have gone home from the lab. But Eileen apparently knew Drew was there and went to see him, almost certainly to let him know her feelings in the matter."

"How do you know that?" James asked, brow furrowed.

Anne colored slightly as she replied. "Well, when she was brought into the ER, I was there...and she was wearing a trench coat...with nothing underneath."

James just sat there blinking for a moment, then.."Ohhhh." He nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face. "That would be fairly conclusive evidence, wouldn't it? But tell me, Doctor Possible, is there any chance her inspiration for such a thing might have come from a close friend, say...a certain redheaded..."

"James Possible! What happened between me and you back then _stayed_ between me and you!" She managed to get out despite a furious blush, which made her already scarlet skin turn a shade of purple, such that James was momentarily worried, but the suppressed grin on her face told him things were perfectly all right.

"As it should have." He answered. Then "Anne, dear, I know we forbade any 'Scarlet Woman' jokes, but I was wondering..."

She gave him a wary look, then her lips twitched. "Lights on or off, Doctor Possible?"

0000000000

Bernie received a brief call from Doctor Drakken the next morning as she was packing.

"Miss Barr, I know you and Shego have become close, but did anything happen yesterday to, um...you know, it's rather odd to use the word 'upset' with Shego. I mean when she threw a tantrum, 'upset' was a very inadequate description! But never mind that, as to my question?" he waited patiently as Bernie worked out what to say.

Finally, "Yes, something did, but it's her secret to share...you know, I'm not sure how to address you? But that's not important, what happened to concern you?"

"Drew will be fine, Miss Barr. Shego was very distracted last night, I'm not sure she even heard me tell her about the eviction notice! But I am quite sure she had a bad night. It's not the first time, I know the signs."

Bernie was momentarily confused. "Um, call me Bernie, or Bernadette, if you prefer...um, I wouldn't be surprised if certain old nightmares of hers have resurfaced...eviction notice?"

She heard a deep sigh. "Yes, it seems I haven't lived up to the terms of my lease! No villainous activities since September, I'm required to do something along those lines fairly regularly. Six months is the limit, and I don't see myself doing anything to qualify before it runs out. Jack Hench already wants me to schedule an Open Lair."

Bernie was now fairly conflicted, but couldn't help offering a helpful suggestion. "Do you still have to file your Income Tax return?"

"Miss Barr...Bernadette, please! Everyone does that, it doesn't count!"

When the conversation was over, Bernie resumed packing while unhappy thoughts swirled in her head. _"Shego, Kim...me, all damaged goods some would call us. Kim needs a serious break from the weirdness, but it starts at home for her! No idea what to suggest for Shego, maybe she should get away and go lie in the sun for a while. Heh, maybe I _should_ go with her!" _She sighed wearily. _"Well, lets see what an abbreviated weekend does for us all, hopefully nothing weird will happen!"_

0000000000

Ron's hospital visit got off to a rocky start. A 'Rocky coast of Maine' start. He was barely off the elevator on Brick's floor when he spotted Arnold Flagg, Brick's father, hovering outside his son's room. He was definitely the source of Brick's build, though he himself was more in the mold of a linebacker or fullback. In fact, he'd played both back in his high school days, or so Brick had occasionally boasted.

Right now, Ron's imagination placed a towering thunderhead over the man's balding pate, such was the scowl he was directing to those around him. Next to him was a well-dressed man Ron vaguely remembered as Brick's uncle, a lawyer. He was most likely from the mother's side of the family, he bore no resemblance at all to Arnold.

Ron heard something like a whisper then, seemingly from inside his own mind. He'd heard them before, usually while deciding whether to turn right or left, and always before in a place of danger. But this time it seemed to be urging him to postpone his visit to Brick. Not impressed with track record of this cerebral anomaly, and seeing no reason he would draw Arnold Flagg's ire, Ron strode forwards. Then Arnold's gaze fell on Ron, and he suddenly upgraded his opinion of that last whisper's veracity.

Arnold broke into motion so fast it took a second for his brother-in-law to notice and start after him as he bore down on Ron. "You!" He bellowed, drawing scowls from a dozen people around him, "You're Stoppable, aren't you? My son's so-called friend?"

"Well, actually.." Ron began, but was rudely cut off.

"Did you and that girlfriend of yours properly immobilize my son's leg before you moved him?" Mr Flagg's volume had lowered from '11' to '10', but Ron could tell he'd had something with sauerkraut on it quite recently, even at a range of ten feet.

"No, we..." Ron was amazed for a moment that he didn't stammer as he tried to reply, but then again, he only managed two words.

"WHAT!" Ron would have actually believed it if someone later had told him that he had leaned back at a 45-degree angle in response to that yell. He also felt an urgent need for a napkin or something to wipe his face off.

"You stand there, and tell me that you didn't follow proper procedure during this so-called 'rescue' of yours, and my son's career may have been jeopardized by your idiot girlfriend's incompetence?" In the midst of his tirade, Arnold Flagg suddenly felt something twist in his gut, as the boy he was haranguing suddenly got an odd gleam in his eye. Some sort of self-preservation instinct for his self-image caused him to spin around to face his brother-in-law. "Did you hear what he said? And you say 'no one's responsible', my..."

"You didn't let him finish, Arnie!" The man snapped, "Just like you haven't let anyone finish a sentence since you've been here! Now shut up, or you'll have to _pay_ for legal advice and services, understand?" Not waiting for a reply he turned to Ron. "My name's Sam, Sam Milkem, Brick's uncle, could you finish what you were saying about immobilizing Brick's leg?"

Though he seemed friendly, he was a lawyer, and Ron was wary. He cast another angry look at Arnold, then replied. "I was trying to say that _we_ didn't immobilize his leg, we just stopped the bleeding. We left it to the Mountain Rescue Squad to do the rest, and get Brick and the other guy out. We helped guide the stretcher up, but the pros handled the hard part."

A truly sour look was now on Arnie's face, as he suddenly turned and stalked away. Sam leaned closer to Ron. "If I thought physical violence was the solution to him, I've got a telescoping riot baton in my pocket. Probably would have broken it on his thick skull, but...anyway, Kung Fu'ing him would have just caused more trouble then the satisfaction would have been worth."

Relaxing slightly, Ron nodded. "He just shouldn't have said anything like that about Kim!" Then his eyes shifted to a TV screen mounted on the wall of a nearby waiting lounge, and he groaned. "Speaking of which, there's another person I'd like to shut up, when it comes to talking about Kim!"

Sam's eyes locked on to the screen in question. "Summer Gale? Heh, dated her once...someone already cut her off earlier, when she was about to mention that madness you guys got caught up in down in the Caribbean. She was reporting on some pictures someone took of Kim going through an airport this morning, something about her face being red? Tried to segue into a shot at Kim over the earlier incident, and the program switched to another reporter, cut her off completely! Well, you _could_ hear her squawking in the background, sounded like she was pitching a fit!"

Ron's face lit up with a wide grin. "About time!" Then he turned back towards Sam. "Anyone else in with Brick? I wanted to see him, but..."

"Go on in, my sister's in there, but she'd be glad to meet you, Ron." Sam reassured him, even as he looked around. "While I track down my brother-in-law, he's probably stalking the ER doctors who treated Brick by now. Boy making it big in football was important to him, maybe a little _too_ important!"

0000000000

"'_Imposer_ _Online'!_ I cannot believe you'd suggest that I lower myself to that level!" Summer Gale exclaimed haughtily.

Her boss, former music and entertainment agent Roland Pond, rocked back in his chair and regarded her with barely concealed frustration before replying. "It wasn't a _suggestion_, Summer, that's where you're going if you fail to follow my orders in the future!" He shot out of his chair, silencing her with a sharp gesture as he strode over to the main window of his office. Which gave him a view of twenty feet of dead air between the office building they occupied, and the Middleton Pickle Works' oldest building, a towering red brick structure with rows of tiny windows. He had no idea what went on in there, and no real wish to find out. But if he himself fell any farther down the food chain, it was more then likely he might. And he would be damned before he'd let Summer Gale push him further down that slippery slope.

Now he turned back to face her glowering visage. "I told you last week, and the week before, to drop any more references to the Carnival incident when you report on Kim Possible, _especially_ to belittle her after she's saved someone's life! I actually got a phone call from Corporate about you mentioning it after the bus crash save! And you don't just _mention_ it, you try and recap the whole story, each and every time!"

"I'm trying to be entertaining, as well as informative!" Summer blustered back. In truth, she was a little unsettled by Roland's claim that the owners of their little enterprise might be unhappy. Of course, it would be just like Roland to make that up to try and intimidate her. After all, hadn't he given a job to one of his former clients, one of the 'Oh Boyz', as a janitor, or something? Claimed he was hiding him out after rehab, but how true...then she realized Roland was speaking to her.

"Did you just hear a word I said?" He asked as he studied her face searchingly.

"Of Course!" Summer replied haughtily, by reflex.

He looked doubtful, but nodded. "Good! Now, look at this!" He gestured at the screen of his desktop computer's monitor. Summer moved to where she could see it clearly, frowning. Five graphs arranged vertically were on the screen. "Okay, these show our viewers, on a minute-by-minute basis, for five recent episodes. Now, on all of these graphs, can you spot the point where _you_ started repeating the tale of Kim Possible and the Griefmeister?"

Summer didn't take long to decide exactly what he was talking about. All five graphs featured a substantial dip, lasting, if she read it properly, from five to ten minutes. And the line representing viewers never made it back to the original level. "Are you trying to tell me..."

"That the moment you begin to rip Possible for a weeks-old error, the viewers switch us off? Yes indeed, that's exactly what happens! I can show you the episode transcripts if you don't believe me! And you might notice the number of viewers for each episode has steadily declined. Now, what does that mean, do you think?"

Summer's mouth worked soundlessly for a moment before she shut it and gathered her thoughts. "I'm losing viewers?" She finally asked in disbelief.

Roland's eyes bulged. "No, _we're _losing viewers! And when the blame for it gets laid on me, I'm not going to hesitate a minute to drop it right on you! So, from this point on, you don't even _mention_ Kim Possible in your broadcasts, unless I personally vet your copy, first! And if I'm not here, you still don't put it on, even if you've got footage that she danced..._what?"_ He snapped, making Summer jump, but Roland's attention was directed to someone who had just entered the office. Summer turned to see who it was, and suppressed a groan with difficulty.

Denise Doughty, her main 'rival'(as Summer saw it) for broadcast time. Though 'Haughty Doughty' was an appropriate nickname for the slender brunette, she unfortunately lived up to her other nickname, 'Hottie'. The latter never helped Summer's peace of mind concerning her job security. Right now, however, the woman was directing a long-suffering look at Roland, who finally rolled his eyes and spread his hands. "Sorry, but you should have knocked, you know! Now, what's up?"

"I just got a hot tip, but it falls more into Summer's department." She stated this matter-of-factly enough, but Summer still studied her suspiciously.

"Oh?" Roland replied with some trepidation.

Denise nodded. "It came from Middleton General Hospital, some guy accused Team Possible of botching their handling of his son's leg injury, in public."

Roland groaned, but Summer gave Denise a smug look. "That's not likely, Kim Possible flew out of the city this morning."

Roland gave her an odd look, but then nodded. "That's right, so either the tip is a bust, or they were just talking to Stoppable."

Doughty nodded. "Right, and my source thinks he heard Stoppable admit they didn't properly stabilize the leg before moving the victim."

Despite herself, Summer felt her pulse quicken slightly. She tried not to look eager as she looked at Roland, who chewed his lip as he mulled it over. Finally he looked quizzically at Denise. "Did the kid lose his leg, or something?"

Doughty looked uncertain. Then she shook her head. "I don't think so, kid's father said something about endangering a promising pro career, I believe. Maybe lost the leg, but I sort of doubt it."

Roland thought it over while Summer barely restrained herself from bouncing up and down on her toes. Finally he nodded. "Okay, if the kid lost his leg, it might be worth writing up! Summer, go ahead, but _every _fact that you report had better be completely true and verified, no excuses! One wrong fact, no matter what the excuse, and it's _Imposer Online_ for you!"

"OOo, that's not good!" Denise commented with a touch of malice, "That tiny little webcam, showing every pore of your face, and at your age, Summer? A really bad idea!"

Summer tried not to snarl at the woman. Instead she nodded to Roland. "No problem, this story will be _all_ fact, I promise you!" She turned and strode to the door confidently. She ushered Denise out with a smirk, then started after her, only to hold up when Roland called to her. He'd sat down in his swivel chair and was gazing out his window again.

"By the way, Gale, if I see an expense voucher for a bone saw, you are _so _fired!" He cringed a moment later when his office door slammed violently, then smirked.

0000000000

"So what do you think, Doc, is the offer legit?" Doctor Drakken looked up and frowned at Francis Lerman, who was pacing nervously in front of his desk. He leaned back and folded his hands across his chest.

"Francis, on the surface, this seems like a legitimate job offer, and they say they're offering it to you because of your work here, claiming they believe you've proven your honesty." He sighed and picked up a folder, which he held out to Lucre. "But according to this, and I think it's reliable, the finances in that county are in arrears, with no explanation that doesn't suggest to me something illegal. Personally, I'm afraid they may just want to hire you so they can use you as a fall guy when the problem is discovered."

Lucre didn't stop pacing, he just bobbed his head. "That's what I figured! Yep, just a set-up. Oh, Doc, my cousin finished the rings, you can pick them up any time!"

Drakken's eyes shot to the wall clock. "Snap! I have to get to the hospital! Eileen will kill me if I'm late! But, let's go by and get the rings on the way, Francis."

Now Lucre stopped, a surprised but pleased look on his face. "You want me to go with you?"

Drakken nodded as he collected his coat from the closet. "Well, at least as far as the jewelers, your cousin doesn't trust me much, does he?"

Lucre shrugged. "Don't take it personally, Doc, trust is not something that comes easy to him. Divorced four times."

"Hmm. Oh, by the way Francis, would you be in the market for a lair of your own?"

0000000000

"My girl is not all present and accounted for." Bernie snapped out of her fugue and looked up to see Monique standing besides her seat. Bernie had been staring at the door to the cockpit, where Shego had taken refuge. At least, Bernie suspected Shego was avoiding her, and discussing what Drakken had told the nurse that morning. Now she focused her attention on the obviously troubled teen next to her.

The plane they were flying in was private, a twelve seat executive jet which was owned by Bernie's father. Bernie had primarily insisted on taking it rather than the perfectly adequate six-seater Shego owned mainly so Shego herself wouldn't have to fly, and could enjoy the flight as a passenger.

Now Bernie turned in her seat to look at Kim, who was staring out the window adjacent to her seat, lost in her own thoughts. Bonnie and Tara were seated farther back in the cabin, chatting animatedly. Bernie sighed, and looked at Monique. "Been distracted, has she?"

Monique nodded solemnly. "Major distracted! I mean, I've got one smile out of her since we took off, and only polite interest about things she'd usually be all ears over. Like the latest Mankey news. That boy was a washout as a boyfriend, but he's a great source of gossip, even Kim can't help listening! But not today, she's just not into girl talk." The girl leaned closer and lowered her voice, even further, even though she had already had it pitched low, "Is it going to be like that last crisis? Or is it still the same one?"

Bernie considered the question, then shook her head. "I don't think so, nothing as bad. Mostly because it's not buried in her subconscious, but clear in her mind. I think her problem is that she can't make sense of it herself, and that's frustrating her. I'll go talk to her, see if I can get her to open up." Monique nodded and stepped back as Bernie rose and headed for the seat next to Kim.

Bernie gave Kim a minute to notice her, before putting a friendly smile on her face and touching the girl's shoulder. Kim turned to look at her, still partly distracted, only to blink in surprise when she saw Bernie. She looked around and spotted Monique watching her with a concerned expression from what had been Bernie's seat. She smiled faintly. "Worried Monique enough to call out the big guns?" She asked quietly.

Bernie half-shrugged, then asked "What's wrong, Kim? Same thing, what happened at the bus crash?"

Kim hesitated, but shook her head. "That still bothers me, but just now, it was about Ron. I can't understand why..why he would ever be _scared_ of me. I mean, I'd never, ever hit him! Well, not hard enough to really hurt, and only a slap to wake him up, I did that once. And why does he look so scared when he messes up? I can't believe he'd think I'd leave him over anything he did."

Bernie paused for a moment, then smiled. "Well, first time we've talked about boys together since you were ten. And the main subject hasn't changed, Ron."

Km rolled her eyes, but then smiled back, blushing faintly.(Bernie took note at how it was still possible to realize she _was _blushing) "Yeah, but the questions are sure different!" Then she grew serious. "But, what about me scaring Ron? I don't want him scared of me!"

Bernie sighed deeply. "Kim, fear is a very deceitful emotion, you don't always attach it to it's true cause. For instance, Ron's fears may be one and the same. He's afraid of being hurt by you, and afraid of you leaving him. But, he doesn't want to admit the _way_ he expects this to happen, so he hitches the fear to a different variation..or maybe definition, of those fears."

Kim's brow furrowed deeply in concentration. "Leave him? Hurt him? At the same time? I still don't...oh." She pursed her lips and lost focus briefly as she considered what had just occurred to her. "Oblivious, much?" She said softly.

"I might be wrong.." Bernie began, but Kim shook her head sharply.

"No, you're right, I get it." Kim shook her head, then turned to look out the window. "But why couldn't he say something? Doesn't _he_ know?"

"Subconsciously, maybe." Bernie replied, "But he knows better then to ask for you to give up missions, Kim. He's not alone, you know. Lots of people who love others in high-risk jobs want to ask them to quit, but usually know that to do so would be unfair. Not a question of choosing between the job and them..rather, it shouldn't be about that, sometimes to some people, it is. But with Ron, he doesn't want to ask, I think he recognizes your need to do this, the way you'd feel if it was denied you. You may one day choose to stop, but he doesn't want to be the reason that you do. So, he chooses, consciously or not, to live with the fear. It's his choice, Kim, and he deals with it the best he can. Being Ron..." She shrugged.

Kim had turned to face Bernie again as she talked, and now a faint grin appeared on her face as she nodded. "Being Ron..."

0000000000

Summer Gale came to an abrupt halt, an ugly frown growing on her face. This wasn't orthopedics, this was _Obstetrics! _She briefly wondered if the receptionist downstairs had steered her wrong on purpose, or made an honest mistake. _"And if it was a deliberate bum steer, did I earn it by not simply admitting that I was here to interview the Flaggs? WHY did I have to make up a lame reason, when I had legitimate business?"_ She shook her head angrily, spun around, and knocked some papers from another woman's hands by accident.

Not that she intended to assume the blame. In fact, she had her mouth open to chastise the other woman for her clumsiness when she saw the collapsible cane, the shaded glasses..."Oh! I'm so sorry, let me help you..." She bent quickly to collect the papers, and couldn't help reading the printed headings. She was careful not to crumple the braille sheets as she picked them up. Summer had a favorite aunt who had lost her sight, and a blind person was just someone who she could never exercise her spite on.

She put the papers in proper order as she apologized. "This is unforgivable, but someone directed me to the wrong ward. I wanted Orthopedics, you see. So.." She smiled as she read the top sheet, "Your first child?"

The woman blushed slightly as she nodded. She was a pleasant looking woman in her early forties, Summer noted, with light brown hair cut short, dressed neatly an stylishly. The only true flaw in her features were her ears, which were a little on the small side. Another thing Summer noticed was the lack of a wedding ring.

"Yes, this wasn't exactly planned, but we're both okay with it." The woman replied.

Summer nodded. "So one of you got careless? Have a good excuse, or do you even know when it may have happened?" She asked lightly. She was now just making conversation, she needed to disengage and get to Orthopedics.

The woman winced."Well, it would be easiest to blame Drew, but I strongly suspect I may need to assume the responsibility here."

"Oh, never assume it if it isn't necessary, men usually can't remember whether they were careful or not!" Summer replied, then looked at her watch, before realizing the gesture was useless here. "I really have to get going, to catch my..."

"Eileen?" The one word, spoken in a voice that Summer immediately recognized, caused her to make the connection.._"Drakken? DREW Lipsky?" _Not that it should have been obvious, there were plenty of 'Drews' around, but stil...She spun around to face the elevator, from which the Mayor of Middleton had just emerged, and was standing with a frown on his face as he saw the two women. Frugal Lucre was standing beside him, squinting suspiciously at the reporter.

"Um, as I was saying, I _really _need to hurry to catch up with the people.." she spoke hastily as she moved to put Eileen between her and Drakken. "It was nice chatting with you, though, and I hope the baby's healthy and everything."

Confused by Summer's obvious nervousness, mixed with her happiness at hearing Drew's voice, Eileen's face assumed a bemused expression as she replied, "Of course, and thank you for being considerate."

"No problem!" Summer assured her hastily, before turning and rapidly walking back the way she'd originally come, back tense, resisting the urge to look back and see if Drakken had some sort of sinister device in his hand, or his henchman..okay, that was a stretch, but it was panic-time, here...was following her.

Drakken had reached Eileen by now, still scowling fiercely at the retreating back of the reporter. As he took Eileen's hands and prepared to distractedly kiss her cheek, Lucre tapped him on the shoulder. "Think that's going to be trouble, boss?"

Drakken winced as Eileen pulled back a bit, frowning. "Trouble? That woman?"

Drakken shot an unhappy glance at Lucre, who wasn't paying attention, anyway, then nodded grimly. "Yes, my Dear. You see, that woman was...

0000000000

"But what if something had happened while I was on 'auto-pilot', that someone needed to know, like the doctors, and I had forgotten it?" Kim asked Bernie urgently, "I know there's still a little gray area there, after the Rescue Squad arrived, and I briefed them. I remember helping guide the stretchers up the slope to the ambulances, me and Ron, but just after we reached the top, there's still a gap, before I found myself with that cup of coffee in my hands."

Bernie shook her head. "Kim, I don't know. These memory things are tricky, I have a thirty-one minute gap...your problem may have been denial. That first bad incident may have shocked you so badly, that one way you worked through it was to subconsciously reassure yourself it wouldn't happen again, but then it did. But that's just a guess, really."

Kim nodded, but she had been partially distracted now from her own problems. However, she wasn't sure if Bernie wanted her to ask...then someone else did it for her.

"What was the thirty-one minute gap from?" Startled, they both looked up to see Shego standing there. As usual, they had been oblivious to her arrival until she made her presence known.

"What, is this something you just can't help, being sneaky?" Bernie asked in an annoyed tone.

Shego shrugged. "I am what I am." She replied unapologetically. "Now, what was that all about?"

Bernie hesitated, then shook her head. "Not now, it's not such a big thing, just a rookie experience exacerbated by a major jerk! Maybe later, but not now, okay?"

Kim was actually embarrassed to have to hide her own disappointment, while Shego gave Bernie a sour look, then nodded. "Fair is Fair, I guess." Then she smirked at Kim "Close your mouth, Kimmie, you might have to actually get used to me saying things like that!"

Kim, who's mouth hadn't _really_ been that open, glowered at her former nemesis, then nodded towards the cockpit. "You get tired of flying the plane?" She saw Shego fidget slightly at the question.

"The guys have it, I was just talking to them." Shego responded blithely. She saw Bernie giving her a suspicious look, and rolled her eyes. "Fine! I felt a little tired, thought I'd catch a little nap for the rest of the trip, okay?" She didn't wait for a reply, but stalked aft to the rear most seats.

Bernie watched her go, then started to rise, hesitated, then stood up, shaking her head slightly. "That can wait for later, too." She smiled at Kim. "Think I'll switch with Monique, so she can pump you for an explanation. Otherwise, she'll probably bust before we land!" Kim feigned a grimace as she watched her former baby-sitter return to her own seat, and Monique heading her way, obviously bursting with questions. Kim did the only thing she could do, short of pretending to take a nap herself, put on a brave smile and brace for the onslaught.

0000000000

"Summer Gale!" Eileen was shocked, "You mean, she was taking advantage of me.."

Drakken took her by the shoulders. "Calm down, Dear. Actually, she was so surprised to see me, I suspect she actually didn't know."

Eileen went from outraged to crestfallen. "But now she does, so we can assume everyone will by tomorrow. I'm sorry, Drew."

He patted her shoulder lightly. "It's hardly your fault, my Dear. Maybe if I'd let you actually hear her voice rather then change channel every time she came on...I do wonder which of my personal avatars of misfortune was responsible for this encounter? I have the peculiar feeling one of them did, but can't think of how...in any event, this just means we have to make things official a little earlier then planned."

Now Eileen became serious. "Drew, I don't want this to make you rush any decisions about us, do you understand?" She asked sternly.

"Perfectly, My Dear, and it isn't. I had already decided what I intended to do, and am fully prepared to carry out those intents!"

A skeptical look came over Eileen's face. "And I suppose you have a ring on you, as proof of your decision?"

Drakken shook his head. He was acutely aware that they had an audience of a dozen people. "No I don't." Eileen began to nod, and the listeners to display a variety of reactions, when Drew continued, "Actually, I have three rings on me, one for the engagement, and two for the ceremony."

There was a collective intake of breath from the audience, even the three-hundred pound male orderly, as Eileen's jaw dropped, and then her knees went weak. Drakken braced her. "I—I think I need to sit down." She stammered.

Drakken put his arm around her waist and guided her to a seat. A woman in the adjacent one collected her things and moved so Drew could sit down as well. He nodded gratefully to her. Francis Lerman, meanwhile, was standing with arms folded across his chest, still staring down the corridor where Summer Gale had long since disappeared. He had a stern look on his face, as if he was standing guard against the return of the woman or one of her colleagues.

"Whoa." Eileen said after a few moments. Then she looked where she knew Drew to be. "You know I'm from Missouri, right?" She 'felt' Drew's smile, but when she sensed him sliding from his seat to the floor, her body tensed involuntarily. Then he took hold of her left hand and held it in a significant manner.

"Eileen Marie Askew, you have been deprived of one of your most vital senses. And it truly pains me to ask you to prove to the rest of the world that you've lost even more sense then that, but will you do so, by agreeing to be my bride?"

She did hesitate, and mentally scolded herself for doing so as she nodded happily. "Of course I will, Drew Theodore P. Lipsky!" She managed in a choked voice. Then she felt him put the ring on her finger, Francis going "Awww...", and applause from those watching.

Then Drakken lifted her to her feet and embraced her, and they engaged in a deep, long kiss. When they broke it, and she rested her chin on his shoulder, she whispered in his ear "Not the way you planned it, huh?"

He chuckled softly. "No, my vision involved James Possible holding me in an armlock, and Anne hovering around holding, of all things, a cricket bat." He shrugged. "As usual, my plans have failed to come to fruition as I envisaged, and for once, I don't mind a bit!"

It's happening again, the extra content keeps coming to mind, and sneaking onto the page. Hope no one minds, I still intend this to be much shorter then it's predecessor. Oh, well, at least I did get the proposal in.

Please Read and Review


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

Deviated too far from pure comedy last chapter, with have more of it here, though there will be some serious moments, too.

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Being forced to stay home a day from school was a surprising hardship for Kim. With Ron _at_ school, she had no one she particularly wanted to share the day with.

Hoping to keep busy she reviewed all the chores she might do, upon waking up. And found that she had been so efficient in keeping them up, that what was left could be easily done before breakfast. She updated her calendar, including checking a series of small boxes, which represented the number of days since she had had any symptoms from several things she'd encountered, that might have been persistent. Even though none had been a problem at all of late, she chose to keep track of all until 200 days had passed on each.

One inspiration struck her, and she made a quick phone call before heading down to breakfast. Both her parents were still home, and still sitting over their own breakfasts. After exchanging good mornings all around, Kim began to work on preparing her own meal. Strictly microwaveable or toastable, of course.

"Been three whole months since my last 'link' with Ron, I think _that_ one we can forget about!" She announced.

Her father muttered a distracted "That's good, Kimmie-cub!", while her mother smiled slightly, "So, that's the last of the famous 'Brain Swap'?"

Kim rolled her eyes, and smiled. "Yeah, but it's too bad we couldn't control the link, being able to see through Ron's eyes, and vice versa, on missions could have been useful!"

"Well, if they could have controlled it, they wouldn't have abandoned the project, sweetheart." Her mother replied reasonably. "Though I'm glad Ron's version was such a departure fromthe truth, even what he wrote was a little risqué, if one let one's imagination run, wasn't it?"

Kim's reply was forestalled by her toast embedding itself in the ceiling. "TWEEBS!" She yelled, before remembering that they _had_ gone to school.

Her father looked at the two pieces of bread lodged over his head. "Just unplug the toaster, Kim, and I'll take it to the lab to try and find out what they've done to it, this time!" Kim mumbled a reply, but did as instructed. She brought the remainder of her food to the table and sat down to eat. Of course, as soon as her mouth was full, she remembered her mother's question. "Urf!" she spent a moment struggling to get her food down the right pipe. "Sorry! Well, if he'd printed the truth, a machine that could link two minds, allowing one to see and hear through another's eyes and ears, it would have been just as risqué! As it was, that guy showed up again to discuss the guidelines for putting Top Secret projects in Ron's stories! I wish he'd keep his aliases straight, he's given us three different names at different times, without seeming to realize it! I mean, the government likes the whole 'double-blind' thing, but I do wish we didn't have to talk with them _every_ time!"

"Now, now, Kimmie-cub, Security issues are of paramount importance, you know! I'm proud they trust you with so many secrets! Oh, and Ronald too, of course!" Her father was now concealed behind the morning paper, which boasted the 'Mud-Wrestling' headline. Kim winced as she read it, and decided to take her mind off it quickly.

"One thing that bugs me? When we shared dreams, Ron's dreams always overrode mine! And his nightmares, too! Though actually, I prefer his to mine."

Her mother gave her a concerned look, as her father asked, "How can you be so sure they were _his_ dreams, Kimmie-cub?" The tone sounded vaguely suspicious.

"Please, Dad! The Marx Brothers one? With me as Harpo, to his Groucho? That did not come out of _my_ brain!"

Her mother frowned quizzically, "Who was Chico? Wade?"

"Um, no, actually. It was Professor Dementor, for some reason! German accent instead of Italian, and he played the violin instead of the piano, but otherwise, in character!" Kim answered with a shrug.

"What about Margaret Dumont?" Her father asked. Kim's eyes widened slightly as the image of Mister Barkin in a full-length Evening dress and fur stole crossed her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut before replying, "Um, it was a Mrs Bloom, a lady we met on a mission, you wouldn't know her!" She opened her eyes to find her Mom giving her a suspicious look. She grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

Her father missed this interplay. "I would have thought Mrs Appler would have fit the role!"

"Uncle Slim's housekeeper? Oh, Ron's never met her! She was on vacation both times we took Ron to the ranch!"

"Oh, that explains it! Now, what about Zeppo?" Kim frowned, and her mother held up four fingers, tapping one and mouthing "fourth brother". "Um, I guess Ron forgot about him?"

"Ah, the ignominy of it! Just because he was merely the straight man to the other three, he's so easily forgotten, it just tweaks my thrusters!" Kim blinked, then frowned curiously, "Dad, before you had me, did you swear like a normal person?" Her mother's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth to hide a grin.

"Um, er, no, actually, your grandmother didn't approve of it, and she made her displeasure quite unclear, I can tell you!" Her father replied. Her mother mimed tugging hard on her earlobe, then raised her leveled hand while pointing at James high enough to show Kim that she was referring to her father as an adult. Kim's eyes widened in astonishment, then she smothered her own grin. Then both redheads made them vanish, as James lowered the newspaper, a suspicious look on his face. Seeing two straight faces, he resumed reading. "Any plans for today, Kimmie-cub?"

Anne answered first. "Well, the tests we need to run are scheduled for two o'clock, It's probably best if she stays home until then, I'll come back and get her."

"Actually, I _do_ have something planned, which includes a ride to the hospital afterwards." Kim commented. "And don't worry, it's something safe, even if I lose my balance again." The sound of a car pulling into their driveway came faintly to them. "That must be my ride! Got to go!" She kissed each parent on the cheek, and sped out the door.

James pulled out his cellphone, and clicked through the menus, until an image of their driveway appeared on it. "Hmmm, wonder why Kimmie-cub is getting a ride in a police car?"

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Ron found a crowd at his locker between classes. Monique and the twins were waiting for him as he walked up, Rufus on his shoulder. "Hey guys! Before anyone asks, Kim won't have her tests before two, so I can't say a thing about that!"

Monique scowled, and the twins' shoulders slumped. "Do you know anything yet about what was done to her, at all?" Monique asked.

"Well..." Ron began, before a sharp tug on his earlobe stopped him. He looked at Rufus, who pointed behind him. Ron turned to see Buzz just turning away, pretending to be engrossed with a book in his hands.

"That guy is such a pest!" Jim declared.

"Why don't you do something about him?" Tim added.

Ron shrugged, without turning around, "What? I can't beat him up, can I? And Kim forbade Wade to crash that website he writes for..." then an alarm went off in Ron's head. _"Not the right people to be saying this in front of!"_ He spun back around, "And you guys..." He trailed off as he realized the hallway was Tweeb-free. He turned to Monique, who was blinking rapidly. "How did they do that?" He asked her.

She shook her head, "I wasn't really looking...I have no clue!"

Ron sighed, opening his locker and swapping books, "No good will come of that! I should have kept my mouth shut!" He closed his locker firmly, but didn't slam it.

"NYF, whatever happens, Ron." Monique reassured him.

"Excuse me?" Came a new voice. Ron turned to find two girls watching him. "Yes?"

"I'm Cameron Geary, this is Gina Leo. Um, I was in the nurse's office yesterday with Kim, and I wondered if she was all right?" The blond girl asked hesitantly.

Ron cast another look at Buzz, who was still trying to walk away from them as slowly as he could manage. "She was fine last time I saw her. She's being examined today, to see what's wrong with her, won't know anything until after school I think." He started towards his next class. Monique went the other way, but Gina and Cam walked alongside Ron, Gina studying Rufus curiously, and being studied in turn. "Why were you in the nurse's office?" Ron asked Cam.

"Her mother made her sick!" Gina replied sharply, before Cam could.

"Gina, stop saying that! No matter how true it is, I really don't...she really embarrassed me, yesterday! At the school, then I heard what happened at City Hall, Dad was _real _upset! He rarely raises his voice to her, but when he does, she usually deserves it, and knows it! At least she isn't trying to get Bonnie Rockwaller expelled for the year anymore!"

Ron gaped. "Expelled? Are you serious?"

Cam nodded, "Oh, yeah! Expelled, and required to apply for reinstatement next year! She is _so_ much a hypocrite! She didn't try and get Bobby Johnson expelled, or Lloyd Fields, and she didn't say a word against Joe Barr!" The girl suddenly stopped and turned around, to find the temporary school nurse right behind her. A horrified look began to spread across her face, but Bernie smiled at her.

"Don't worry, I told Dad we should haul him to a certain scenic location and lock him in the stocks for the weekend, and I wasn't kidding!" She looked at Ron. "Like I told Monique, I grew up with worse then you and Kim to deal with, no offense!"

Ron grinned widely, and shook his head, "Like I should take offense? I have thirty apologies to make to you, all stored up! And then, we'll start on the second time you babysat me!" Cam and Gina both smiled at that. But a slight frown appeared on Bernie's. She suddenly spoke over her shoulder. "Richard, isn't your next class in the _other_ direction?" Buzz popped out from behind her.

"Oh! Right! Must have gotten confused, thanks!" He sped off in the other direction. Bernie eyed the clock critically. "He'll never make it, and if he keeps running, Mister Barkin is just around that corner back..."

"Carroll! No running in the halls! I'll see you in detention, Mister!"

Gina and Cam giggled, while Ron smirked. Bernie gave him a sly smile, "What are you smiling about? Thirty seconds to the bell, and you have a bit of ground to cover, too!"

"What! Oh, Man!" Ron began to move as quickly as he could, short of actually running, towards his next class. Gina and Cam looked around in mild panic, before realizing they were actually outside their next class. "Whew! Had me going there for a moment!" Gina commented.

"Cam, before you go in, are you feeling all right yourself, this morning?" Bernie asked the girl solicitously.

"Yes, Ma'am, I'm fine, Thank You very much!" The two girls went into their class, and Bernie looked around the empty hallway. "Ma'am! I'm twenty-three, but..." She chuckled, then scowled down at her left foot. "Something's loose down there, have to get it adjusted, don't want it to start squeaking in the hallways!" She walked off, slightly favoring that foot.

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"It was hardly a 'wrestling match' Miss Possible, the paper blew it all out of proportion, not unusual at election time!" Officer Hobble leaned on a workbench in an old storage room beneath the Police Station, munching on sunflower chips.

"Mrs Rockwaller parked her car up the street, and was searching for change for the meter, when she saw Mrs Geary emerge from City Hall. She called out to her, and then headed straight for her, and Mrs Geary went towards her, as well!"

"Unfortunately, they both entered an area overly saturated with water from the sprinklers, with the surface dirt reduced to very slick mud, beneath the grass. Just as they got close to each other, Mrs Geary's heel stuck in the mud, and she stumbled out of her shoe, onto Mrs Rockwaller, who by trying to pull back rather then catch her, merely precipitated both of them into the mud. It took several attempts to regain their footing, by which time they were considerably disheveled, as you may have seen on the front page this morning." He stopped, tilting his head slightly as he regarded the girl. "What exactly is going on here, Miss Possible? I don't see anything happening!"

"Good!" The girl replied brightly, which seemed incongruous, considering her condition. She was lying on a table, her arms stretched above her head, locked into a pair of spring-loaded shackles, which enclosed her fingers and immobilized them. A digital timer sat on a stool next to the table. Kim studied it briefly, then tried to twist her head to see her shackles, but couldn't quite manage it. "As to what's happening, I'm testing Wade's new lockpicking nanobots, and since this stuff is stored here, I thought I'd take advantage!" The 'stuff' had been confiscated from a temporary lair Dementor had built in Middleton.

Hobble nodded his understanding. "Lockpicking robots, whatever will that young man come up with next? Let me guess, they were in your wristwatch?"

"Right!" Kim was starting to frown as she regarded the timer. "A dozen of them, in a hidden compartment!"

"And you're testing how long they take? And, how did you release them?"

"In reverse order, an automatic sensor did that, as soon as it detected my hands being immobilized. Which may have been too soon, have to think about that, but the bots did need time to reach the locks. And, no, not how long they take, I have a feeling there might be a problem..." At which point, with a sharp click, the left shackle sprang open. Kim began counting under her breath with the timer, looking less and less happy by the moment. At 'fifteen', her right hand was freed.

"Ah! You'd be in trouble, lass, if there was a guard present, and they heard that first lock release! You'd still be at a disadvantage for those fifteen seconds, with one hand still trapped!"

Kim nodded unhappily as she sat up, and reached for the Kimmunicator. Even as she picked it up, it went off. "Hey, Kim! You'll never believe what happened in Switzerland this morning! Oh, how'd the test go?"

Kim regarded him skeptically. "Wade, the way my life is going lately, nothing would be hard to believe! And, I was right about the need to synchronize the bots better!"

"Hmmm, I'll work on that! But get this, Drakken and Shego tried to steal a Quantum Synchronizer in Switzerland! Whoa, synchronicity!"

"I knew it! I knew something would hap...'tried' to steal it? What went wrong?"

Wade smiled so widely, the screen switched to letterbox format to accommodate it. "Professor Dementor stopped them! Turns out he invented the device, and doesn't receive payment until it's safely delivered, so he had a vested interest in stopping Drakken! Ever since his sister got control of the Strudel works, he's had a bit of a cash-flow problem!"

"How did Dementor stop them?"

"It was a pretty close fight, 'til the Gravitonic Ray shorted out on Drakken, and Shego got a face full of pollen from one of Dementor's plants. They only got away because the forcefield generator on the hovercraft actually _worked_ this time!"

Surprise showed on Kim's face. "You mean, there really is a forcefield on that thing? It never worked for him against me and Ron!"

"Yeah, that is kind of weird! Anyway, the search is on for the two of them, and I have no idea what the pollen did to Shego!"

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Not _too_ high over the Atlantic, Drakken was piloting the hovercraft westwards, more then moderately distracted by his companion. "Would you please get in your seat, and fasten yourself in properly! Don't lean so far over the side! Shego, please..."

"Shego, Wooosh!" And a blast of plasma shot straight up in the air.

"Oh, that's helpful! Shego, if you..." "Shego, Wooosh!" "Stop that! If they're after us, you're sending up flares! Now, sit down and behave, Shego!"

"Shego, Wooosh!"

"Oh, I get it! Ixnay on the amenay! Well, that's just wonderful! Now, get in your seat...careful, your foot is lodged in the cupholder! No, not that way! Well, okay, but if all the blood rushes into your head and makes you black out, don't blame me! I have to try and analyze that pollen! Unfortunately, you incinerated all the blood samples I had in stock of yours! It's obviously a hallucinogen of some kind, to make you start wooshing.."

"Wooosh, Shego!"

"Gah! Okay, that's two words on the unspeak list for this flight!" somewhere above, and somewhat behind him, Drakken heard something that might have been thunder, or a distant explosion. "Not looking, not looking! Obviously we're not going to make it back to Middleton tonight! I can't use the auto-pilot, because the auto-nav system is still locked onto Orlando, Florida, for some reason!"

"Stop squirming around! Well, I am _not_ paying an arm and a leg for another night at Jack Hench's little hideaway in Iceland, I'm going to check out alternatives! Wha...Shego.." "Shego, Wooosh!" "Well, she's evened out my sideburns, at least! No, She...eh, just sit still or..._or_, I'm going to call Mister Sitdown!"

"No, no, I'll be good!" And Shego became very still.

"Good! Now, let's see...MinionCo, again? Well, might as well check...Bermuda? And the rates seem reasonable! But...let's see, President John Minion? Oh, please, Jack, a funhouse mirror would make a better fake photo! Still, those rates...and it is Bermuda..."

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"Cybernetic Ear Mites!? Are you kidding me?" Kim asked incredulously. Her mother, Mrs Load, and Vivian Porter, present in the flesh, and Wade, via Kimmunicator, all collectively shook their heads. "They're real, Kim. That anomaly in your scan yesterday was low-level cybernetic activity inside your ears! We've verified the presence of a total of five active 'mites' in your ears. And four more that show signs of recent breakdown, pus fifteen additional ones that were apparently jammed up by...ear wax." Vivian explained, "someone forgot the obvious, there!"

Kim felt embarrassed for some reason. "I keep my ears clean!"

Everyone grinned at her. "It wouldn't take much, with these tiny machines, Kim!" Anne Possible assured Kim.

"And you were wrong about they way they were meant to work, Kim!" Wade chimed in, "Oh, and it wasn't Senior who did it to you, at least not yesterday! They've been in you for at least two weeks, waiting to be activated!" Vivian nodded agreement with that estimate.

Kim frowned. "Two weeks? Nothing happened two weeks ago, mission wise! And what did you mean, I was wrong about the way they were meant to work, Wade?"

"Well, the four that broke down appear to have been progressively damaged by their own activations, and the other five are damaged, probably in the same way. I think they were all supposed to activate just once, and target your inner ear."

"Well, their target was obvi..." Kim saw her mother suddenly pale, and Vivian frown. "What's wrong? Did you think...oh. If nine of them threw me off so badly, what would two dozen all at once have done?" She shook her head. "It was Gemini." she declared.

"Permanent nerve damage, at the very least, Kim!" Vivian spoke up, "And why Gemini?"

"He's the only one that would outright try and kill me this way, that's why." Kim replied flatly.

"The only one? I thought all your enemies have tried to kill you?"

Kim shook her head. "Drakken sets deathtraps, but they're only lethal if I try and escape from them! If I just stay put, and let him carry out his scheme, no harm comes to me. Of course, I'd never do that, but it keeps him from being charged with attempted murder when he's arrested. Unlawful detention is as far as a prosecutor will go with him."

"Dementor usually traps me, and then gloats and rants until I get loose and beat him. He talks lethal, but to date, in real life, he's never actually tried to kill me, or order me killed. I haven't given him time! Monkeyfist might kill, face to face, but certainly not like this. Forget Lucre, just forget him! Cybernetics don't fit DNAmy's or Killigan's style, either. And Senior is too honorable to kill like this. Motor Ed? Not likely, not confrontational enough! Or Camille, not a killer at all!"

She searched her memory. "The new guys I don't know well enough, so my best bet so far is Gemini, he loves cybernetics! But right now, can you get them out?"

Vivian nodded. "I have a little something we can use to flush them out of your ears, it'll deactivate them harmlessly! Oliver is on his way with it from the lab."

"Spankin! Wade, do you guys know what signal was supposed to activate these things in the first place?"

"Sure, why?"

"I want you to make me something that will let me know if that signal is sent again, anywhere around me!"

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Drakken struggled to hang on to one corner of the tarpaulin that he was trying to cover the hovercraft with. _"All right, checking the weather conditions in advance might have been a good idea!"_ The wind was blowing a steady forty miles per hour, with gusts as high as sixty or seventy. One employee of the hotel/hideout was assisting him, a skinny fellow who's feet seemed to leave the ground occasionally as he tried to subdue another part of the tarp. Intermittent waves of raindrops pelted them.

Shego was slumped against a tree nearby, their luggage stacked next to her. She was humming to herself, peering fuzzily about. "No Mister Sit-down, No Mister Sit-down!"

The tarp finally secured, Drakken rubbed his aching back. "I've got a wheelbarrow over yonder, if you want it for the luggage!" The hotel man shouted against the wind. Drakken looked at the luggage, just the two bags, then at Shego...

The hotel office appeared ramshackle, yet seemed remarkably secure against the wind. The clerk was a broad shouldered man of about fifty, wearing a flowered shirt and a world-weary expression, standing behind a teak desk, with a double-wide door behind him. "Do you want a tent, or a cabin room?" He asked Drakken.

Drakken bit back a sarcastic reply concerning the idiocy inherent in taking a tent in the current weather conditions. "A Cabin, please." Humming from behind him caused him to turn and regard Shego piled in the wheelbarrow.

"Sign here, please." The clerk requested, turning the register around. "And she'll have to sign, too."

Drakken grimaced. "She's hardly in any condition to sign! I'll do it for her!"

"Hotel Policy, all guests sign for themselves...but, she does seem to be a little inebriated, doesn't she? Hot party?"

"Actually, she inhaled pollen from a mutated plant!"

"Oh, sure! You know how many times I've heard...you're serious?" The clerk looked back and forth from Drakken to Shego. "Well, I guess you can do it. This Time!"

Drakken fidgeted nervously, "Um, there is one other thing. She and I are not on...intimate terms, she's my employee. I wonder if there's someone who can...put her to bed?"

The clerk looked at him like he was mad. He looked at Shego again, then back at Drakken. _"Guy's nuts, or gay! But, he's the guest!" _The clerk turned towards the closed doors, and yelled, "Mama!" And Drakken found out why the doors were double-wide.

"Mama, the little lady there is a bit under the weather, and needs to be tucked in. They're in Cabin 9-B." The female mountain nodded, and walked around the desk. "Which bag is hers?" Drakken pointed to it. The woman nodded again, scooped Shego out of the barrow, and slung her over one shoulder, then picked up the bag, and headed out into the storm.

Drakken gave them twenty minutes, then picked up his own bag, got directions to his cabin, and set out. He almost went off course in the driving wind and rain, but spotted the hulking figure of Mama coming towards him. "I put her in the lower, hope that's all right!" She told him, then went on towards the office without waiting for a reply.

"_Lower? She can't mean..."_ Drakken eventually made his way to the right door, and entered. He stopped cold, dropping his bag on the floor. "Hench!" he hissed, "That clerk did say a cabin _room_ though, didn't he?" The 'cabin' was divided in to two separate rooms, it appeared. The half Drakken stood in contained a bunk bed, a small table with two chairs, and a small bathroom. And practically no floor space!

Shego was in the lower bunk, covers pulled up until only her eyes showed, peering at him accusingly. "You said if I was good, you wouldn't call Mister Sitdown!" She wailed.

"What? That wasn't...never mind, easy mistake to make! Just go to sleep, okay?" Drakken took up his bag and entered the bathroom.

When he emerged in his pajamas, Shego was quietly humming to herself. Drakken gingerly climbed the short ladder to reach the upper bunk, and settled himself awkwardly. Finally comfortable, he lay back, and spoke aloud. "Well, this has not been my best day, has it?" He looked upwards, "Any more surprises, or can I go to sleep?" he asked rhetorically. Or not.

Drakken heard a voice, clearly audible through the dividing wall. "Doc? Is that you?" His eyes widened, and he shook his head. _"No Fate could be that cruel!"_

"Doctor Drakken? I thought I heard your voice before!"_ "It's Lucre. My day is complete!" _"Hey, if you're alone, I can come over there, it'll be like old times, right?"

"NO!" Drakken exclaimed. Then smacked himself on the forehead. "Lucre, I'm not alone, the other bunk is occupied!" The humming below had stopped, but Drakken doubted Shego was asleep. Then an awful premonition struck him. "Lucre, listen..."

"Oh, I get it! You've got Shego with you!"

"Oh, Snap!"

"Shego, Wooosh!"

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Please Read and Review


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

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**Two weeks later...**

"I can't believe I flew all the way to Germany, and missed Ron's big game, and all I ended up doing was stopping Shego from dipping Dementor in a vat of hot pretzel mustard!" Kim groused, as she, Monique, and Bernie strolled through Middleton's Old Town shopping district, window shopping. The Saturday afternoon crowd was not particularly heavy this week, and Kim should have been enjoying a bit of fresh air shopping instead of the usual mall cruise, but she kept seeing reminders of what she'd missed the evening before, the Middleton Mad Dogs' third win in a row of the season, over Eastside. "Ron scored three touchdowns, and I wasn't there to cheer for him!"

"Well, saving Dementor from a mustard bath wasn't exactly trivial, was it? And how do you know it was 'pretzel' mustard?" Bernie asked. The fresh air was a bit on the cool side, not enough to warrant a coat, but long sleeves and no bare midriffs were the dress code of the day.

Kim shrugged, "Well, Shego had him wrapped in pretzel dough, baked by her plasma, so pretzel mustard is appropriate, right?" Both of her companions nodded. "Okay, good point." Bernie responded with a grin, "How far do you think she'd have gone with it?"

Kim frowned, "Pretty far, from the look on her face. Whatever happened to her because of that pollen, _really_ ticked her off! We hardly exchanged a word, compared to our usual repartee!" The three stopped to study the window displays of a shoe store, and remained engrossed in that for several minutes, before collectively sighing and turning away.

"Was Professor Dementor grateful for not being turned into the world's largest pretzel nib?" Monique asked, then reconsidered her own question, "Oops, he was! Okay, then for being saved from the mustard bath?"

Kim shook her head, "Maybe, but all he did was complain that I didn't think saving him was worth wearing my 'Super-Suit'!"

Monique snorted, while Bernie frowned in puzzlement, "I thought that thing was one of Ron's inventions?"

Kim waved to one of her regular babysitting clients as she replied, "Well, yes, and no! Wade has a budget as to how much he spends on me, and a suit based on his design would exceed that limit. Which was set by me and his Mom, by the way. The suit I used just that one time was manufactured by someone else for me to test. I think Wade contributed to it's design, though. And for the record, I didn't like it, too confining, and it slowed me down too much! On the other hand, they said it wasn't 'optimized' for me in particular, but still..." Her voice trailed off as they passed another shoe store, with some _very_ tempting wares in the front window. "So, the 'slinky, skintight' suit was Ron's idea, and trust me, it didn't match reality." she concluded distractedly.

Once past that temptation, the subject changed. "What's up with the ear mites, Kim, any sign of someone trying to activate them?" Monique asked as they waited at an intersection for the 'walk' signal.

"No, and my suspect list got larger, after Wade and Vivian finished their analysis! We jumped to a conclusion regarding their designed intent, based on just their numbers alone. But, Viv and Wade now think their designed function was to induce a realistic coma, and sustain it until commanded otherwise. They didn't all have the same programming, power level, or target inside my head. Junior's song scrambled some of their programming, so they were actually malfunctioning when they made me ill."

Bernie frowned, "Were they just going to drop you in the street, without explanation, you think, or were they going to set up some circumstances to make it look as if the coma was the result of an accident?"

"I'm thinking the latter. Me out of action, and no reason for it to be suspicious would be a good plan for someone! I—oooo!" Kim's eyes locked on a dress in one store's window.

"Dibs!" Monique cried, "I saw it first!"

"Did not!" Kim replied with feigned outrage, fighting down a grin as they indulged in some well-honed banter. Bernie rolled her eyes and waited patiently as they had their fun, before it ended as it always did, with a look at the price tag. Two deep sighs followed, and the trio continued their promenade. "That would have been _so _cool to wear to the homecoming dance!" Kim lamented, and Monique nodded agreement.

"So, Bernie, what are you going to do, now that Mrs Graham's back in the nurse's office?" Kim inquired, as they began to surreptitiously study the window displays in a lingerie store they were passing.

"Well, first, I'm certainly glad the rumors of her joining some expedition to New Guinea, or going on that senior citizens' singles cruise as the group's nurse weren't true!" The older woman replied.

"Actually, I think they were, but she was too old for the first, and too young for the latter!" Kim replied. Bernie gave her a dubious look, "Seriously?" Kim nodded, and Bernie grinned, "One might think she didn't want to return to her old job, mightn't one? Well, then, maybe I should keep myself available, she might have another accident! Too late to start college this semester, anyway!"

"Are you going to Medical School?" Kim asked, "Mom might help out, if you want to take Pre-Med at Upperton U., she graduated from there."

Bernie shook her head, "No, not going for Doctor, I'll stay at Nurse, if I continue in medicine at all. Tell you the truth, not sure if I will, or not! Change of subject, if you don't mind!" She looked at Kim with a sly smile, "The Marx Brothers?"

Kim rolled her eyes, grinning. "Yep! The 'brain-swap' caper just happened to coincide with Ron's sudden interest in classic movies, for which we have Mister Barkin to blame! When Ron was 'fired' from the school paper, he complained about censorship, among other things. And Barkin heard him, and told him to right a report on the subject of censorship, any particular example he wanted, and he chose the Hayes Code in old Hollywood, and his interest developed from there."

"How did the brain-swapping thing actually work?" Bernie asked.

"Well, it was supposed to establish a link between two minds that would allow one person to experience the senses of the other, if their own were cut off. Close your eyes, and you saw what the other person saw, etcetera. But it was faulty, the link was uncontrollable, and caused dream sharing, among other things. Drakken tried to link with a scientist on a certain project, but ended up hitting one of the guards, and found out more about the guy's private life then he wanted! But for some reason, the link was one-way there, but two-way with me and Ron!"

Bernie nodded in understanding, "Were there other movie-based dreams? Won't ask about personal ones, or nightmares."

"Oh,Yes!" Monique cut in with a sly grin, "There were definitely more movie dreams! The best would be _Tarzan and his Mate!"_

Kim looked annoyed, surprisingly, as Bernie's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Are we talking about the original, uncensored version?" As she asked, something caught her eye, and she looked upwards and saw a hot-air balloon with a banner hanging beneath it. 'Rockwaller for Mayor!' it proclaimed. It appeared there were three people in the basket.

"Yep!" Monique answered, "Good thing she didn't tell her dad about that one!"

"Yeah," Kim responded, a note of bitterness in her voice, "Because he'd have jumped to the same conclusion as you two, that _I_ was Jane!" Both her companions stared at her in differing degrees of shock.

"You mean you weren't? Are you serious?!" Monique finally managed to ask.

Kim suddenly realized what effect her words had had. "Oh! No, I'm not tweaked about not being Jane, honest! Just imagining my Dad's overreaction if he thought I was! No, Ron explained it, sort of! First, he says he didn't want to think of me in _that_ way, at least until we're married! Secondly...well, you know Tarzan saves Jane so many times in that one, from a crocodile and a lion, among other things? Well, he figures if _I_ was Jane, by the time Tarzan got there, Mom would have a new set of luggage, and Dad a rug for the fireplace, or so he claims!" She sighed, "But mostly I think it disturbs him for me to be a 'Damsel-in-Distress', depending on him to rescue me!"

"But that's part of the romance! Being saved by the handsome prince, or whatever!" Monique protested. Catching Bernie's upwards glances, Monique followed her line of sight and gawked at the balloon almost overhead.

"Not so romantic when you've done it too often in real life! Never mind, if you want to talk romance, how about _Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, _and _The Big Sleep_? We didn't finish the last one, though, mission came up!"

"Ron as Bogie, I take it?" Bernie asked. When Kim nodded, she continued, "Well, one problem, he didn't get the girl in the first two, and what role did you play in _Big Sleep_?"

"The older Sternwood sister," Kim replied, "And no, he didn't get the girl in _Casablanca_, but that didn't make it less romantic, did it?" She finished with a dreamy grin, before she now noticed the others' distraction and looked up at the balloon herself.

Bernie smiled as well. "You got me there! But, was it romantic for him to send you to the 'Big House', in _Falcon_?"

"Man's gotta do what a Man's gotta do!" Kim intoned, in a passable Bogart. She lowered her gaze to sweep their surroundings. She was astonished that she hadn't taken note of the campaign posters and signs all around. They competed with various Halloween advertisements for space. The political ones were not only for the Mayoral race, but several City, County, and State elections, as well as propositions to be voted on. Then her eyes locked on one. "No Way! Now it looks like he's taking this seriously!" She spat out incredulously.

Monique took a moment to spot the source of her distress, a 'Lipsky for Mayor' poster on a lamppost. "Oh, maybe not, Girlfriend! I hear there's a citizen's group that simply wants _anyone_ other then Geary and Rockwaller, so they're supporting the only alternative candidate!"

Kim continued to scowl at the poster. "I was thinking of asking Mrs Stoppable to run, just in case? She has experience, though not a lot. But Ron sort of freaked out at the idea! Said that with Hana around, she needs to do 'Mom' things, not 'Mayor' things. And then he reminisced about the hardships he endured when she was on the City Council."

"How old was he then?" Monique asked.

"Thirteen." Both Monique's and Bernie's eyes widened, and Kim smirked, "Yeah, he had to do without his Mom's pancakes, with the whipped cream 'smiley-faces', unless he made them himself!"

"Well, speaking of Candidate Lipsky," Bernie commented, "Unless Detroit is putting out flying saucers this season, I think he's parked over at the drug store!" She pointed to one of Drakken's smaller hovercraft, which just fit into one of the outlined parking spaces beside the store.

Kim just nodded, "Yeah, he's probably after painkillers, Shego said he hurt his back during their last trip to Europe." She scowled slightly, "She said something about 'bailing out of the top bunk without a parachute'. She said it as a quip, but then her look soured, like she hadn't meant to say it at all. Anyway, this falls under our truce agreement."

"I've been meaning to ask, how many days come under this 'Truce' agreement of yours?" Monique inquired.

Kim took a moment to answer. "Well, Hanukkah and Christmas, the Fourth of July, Passover and Easter; Mine, Ron's, Drakken's, and his Mother's birthdays. We added Mother's Day after the one fiasco. Oh, and the annual County Fair and the Charity Carnival!" She now noticed many people looking upwards, and spotted a second balloon, with a banner saying 'Re-Elect Geary' trailing behind it. "I'll bet Mister Lawrence suggested that stunt to both parties, since they'd have to rent the balloons from him!" Then she frowned, "Huh?"

The others looked up to see what she'd noticed. And spotted a metal sphere circling around the Rockwaller balloon. "What's that?" Monique asked.

Kim was pulling her Kimmunicator out of a 'holster' on her belt. "_That_ is Senor Senior Senior's drone!" She fished around in one pants pocket, and pulled out three tubes of lipstick. Monique smirked when she saw them. "You know, you really need to get Wade to think of another way to disguise your gadgets, too many lipsticks make you seem a bit vain!"

Kim shrugged. "Actually, I suggested he not bother disguising them at all anymore, none of my villains take any chances with me these days, anyway! Only Gemini ever went in for a strip search, first time I found out he had female agents! But, that was standard procedure for _his_ captives, GJ Agents are usually loaded down with hidden gear, too! But Wade pointed out that a few villains out there might not actually know that much about me, so I dropped it."

Having selected one lipstick, Kim returned the others to her pocket. She removed the top of the one she had kept, then twisted the base, removing it entirely. Opening a small port in the back of the Kimmunicator, she threaded the tube into it, then switched the device on. Holding it up so as to point the tube at the balloon, she studied the image on the screen. "Okay, I've got Bonnie, her Dad, and..." her eyes widened, "..Senor Senior Junior, in a suit and tie?!"

She targeted the drone, but could only just make out the flickering image of SSS, due to reflected sunlight off the drone's screen. "This is ferociously weird! Why would Mr Rockwaller have Junior with him, with his criminal history?"

"Who's in the other balloon?" Monique asked. Kim shifted her view to the Geary balloon. "Um, There's Mrs Geary, and Cam! I don't recognize the man...No, wait a moment, I think that's Joe, Junior!" Monique squinted at the screen, then nodded.

"Yep, that's him! He seems to be doing the flying."

"Mister Competition doing the flying?" Bernie commented, "Well, don't see how he could get carried away in a hot air balloon!" She studied the Rockwaller balloon. "Who's flying the other one?"

"Junior, probably!" Kim replied, "He had an Uncle named Esteban who was a balloonist, and supposedly taught him."

"'Had' an uncle?" Monique queried, "What happened to him?"

"Heart attack during the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona! Some people told him he was too old, but he said if his elder brother, Senor Senior Senior, could do it, so could he!" Kim replied distractedly. She was scowling fiercely now. "Junior's got the burners wide open, gaining altitude! He can't possibly think...okay, that's a rhetorical question waiting to happen! He's not going to get away from his father that way, unless the drone has an altitude limit!"

"Well, check it out, Joe Geary's matching him!" Monique exclaimed. And it was clear that both balloons were climbing now. Bernie shook her head, "I should have kept my mouth shut! Joe Jr's had his competitive streak activated somehow!" She frowned, "Or his Mother's, perhaps!"

"Junior's eased off on the burn..." Kim reported, "No, he just opened her wide again!" She switched to the Geary balloon, "Same there! I don't like how this is going, I think things are getting out of hand! Junior just eased off again." Then her eyes nearly popped out, "Oh, No! I think he just broke the controls, opening them up again!" She watched a moment longer. "Yep, he's doing the 'headless chicken' dance!" Her brain raced. "IF he keeps going up, and burns off all his fuel, the air in the envelope will cool off long before they're down to a safe height! Got to do something!"

Then she spun and dashed across the street, but not without checking the traffic in both directions. She headed straight for Drakken's hovercraft, mind racing as she tried to remember all she knew about it's controls.

Inside the store, Doctor Drakken was studying the candy displays, especially the holiday bonus offers. His purchases were already paid for, and he had nearly managed to reach the door before his sweet tooth's demands became too great to ignore. Now he was just short of salivating as he scanned the selection.

Then a buzz came from one coat pocket. He pulled out a small device, studying it and frowning. "Someone trying to 'jack my ride? Hmmph! We'll see about that!" He marched out the front door, and walked around the corner of the building to the parking lot. And stopped, bemused by the sight before him. Before scowling fiercely, and exclaiming, "Kim Possible! Personal errands to the drug store, or shopping in general, is covered by our agreement!"

"I need your hovercraft to save some people!" she snapped back, pointing...she couldn't see the balloon from where she was, but her upwards gesture caused Drakken to turn around while looking up, and he spotted the ascending balloons.

"What's wrong with them?" He asked, while backing over to the hovercraft, craning his head to keep the balloons in sight as he did.

"Senor Senior Junior is flying one of them, and I think he broke the burner controls! They're in an uncontrolled ascent!" She threw her hands up in frustration, "Why do you have to wire each of these things up differently?"

"Junior? Wiring? Oh, I just make it up as I go along!" Tearing his eyes away from the balloons, he placed his bag in the hovercraft, and climbed in. "Were you planning to try flying and performing your heroics at the same time? Move over!" He dropped into the pilot seat, and powered the craft up, while Kim stared at him, nonplussed. "Please take a seat, Kimberley!" The scientist snapped, and she started guiltily before complying.

They rose quickly, and Drakken steered them upwards in pursuit of the runaway balloon. Or balloons, Kim was wondering why both of them were still ascending rapidly. _"No way Joe Geary broke his controls too, is there? And he can't be so competitive that he'd forget the danger to his mother and sister, is there?"_ She looked around the hovercraft. Fitting three more people into it would be difficult, especially with two of them as big as Junior and Bennett Rockwaller.

She turned to Drakken. "I don't know if it's possible to fix the burner, but I'm assuming it's not! So we may need to cut the basket free, passengers and all! Unless you think we can pull them down?"

Drakken shook his head. "Pull them up, yes, but down? That won't work with this craft, Kimberley! It's flight is based on lift, the same as the balloon's. As to your plan, we have four cables for lifting, but we need to attach all four and distribute the weight, or the same thing will happen to us as happened to Shego and I when you thwarted our theft of that chemical shipment on Lake Michigan!"

Kim winced slightly, remembering. The shipment had consisted of one large tank, with the cables attached to preexisting flanges. As the villains had lifted it clear of the ship carrying it, she'd cut two of the cables, causing the hovercraft to flip onto it's side, pitching both villains into the water...and sending the container and hovercraft to the bottom of the lake, from which they had to be salvaged later.

Banishing the memory, she mentally switched herself into Mission Mode. "Okay, Got it! Is there a safety harness aboard?"

"Um, yes, but it's sized for me, you'll have to really make some adjustments for it to fit you! It's in that locker!" As Kim rummaged for the item, Drakken looked at the two balloons. "If, somehow, they're both out of control, we can't manage both baskets, you know!"

Kim turned to him with a determined look on her face, as she struggled into the harness. "We will if we have to! But, I don't think we will, get us close to the Geary balloon, first!" Kim was beginning to feel the cold more and more as they climbed, her clothes had been comfortable enough at ground level, but not anymore. Drakken was better off, while he wasn't wearing his trademark outfit, he was still warmly clad, since he'd flown to town.

She had the harness comfortably fitted by the time they caught up with the Geary craft. The occupants of the basket seemed to be engaged in a heated argument, Sheila gesticulating wildly as she shouted at her son, Cameron alternating between pleading with him, and throwing her hands up in disgust at his obstinacy.

Drakken pulled them right alongside the basket before anyone inside even noticed them. Then all three Gearys turned to look at them, Joe Jr and Sheila scowling, Cameron with a relieved look.

"Joe, stop!" Kim shouted, "You're endangering your family!"

"No way!" He snarled back, "I'm not letting that prissy French bastard show me up!" He turned his back on Kim.

Kim rolled her eyes. "He's Spanish, and he's broken the controls on his balloon, it's out of control! That's _his_ excuse for being an idiot, what's yours?" Joe turned to look at her suspiciously, then looked at the other balloon again. He reached for the burner controls, then suddenly shook his head. "No, I think you're lying, I think..." then he broke off, eyes wide, as Senor Senior Senior's drone flew into view, and held position near Kim.

His face on the screen was as distraught as Kim had ever seen him. "Kim Possible! You must save my son! His fuel will soon be exhausted! Doctor Drakken, what are you doing here?" Drakken just shrugged, while concentrating on his flying.

"Joseph Henry Geary, Junior!" Sheila Geary bellowed, "Are you satisfied? I'm freezing, I'm scared out of my wits, and you're making a complete fool of yourself, chasing a runaway balloon! Now, I don't care how old you are, young man, I want you to get this balloon down on the ground, RIGHT NOW!"

"_She's__ freezing!" _Kim thought, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. The Gearys were wearing winter coats, at least. Then she forced herself to ignore the cold, as she turned to the drone. "I'll save them, as soon as I'm sure Joe's going down!"

Senior face transformed into a frightening scowl. "I see! Well, if that's the case..." the drone turned so it faced the Gearys. A mechanical appendage extended from it, and a laser beam shot out in a short burst, just clear of the basket. "I can assure you, they _will_ be descending, one way or another, if they delay my Son's rescue a minute longer!"

Before Kim could say a word, it became obvious that Joe had gotten the message clearly. He eased off his burn significantly, a shaken look on his face. The two women were also gazing at the drone in fear.

Anger at SSS warred with the necessity to get on with the rescue in Kim's head. The latter won, but she shot one fierce glare at the drone, before turning to Drakken. "Let's go!" He nodded, and the hovercraft shot ahead and climbed to catch the other balloon.

Kim studied the balloon's rigging and basket as they closed, trying to determine where best to attach the cables. "Can the cables be adjusted individually?"

Drakken shook his head. "Sorry, no, not on this model." He responded, apologetically. Kim's mouth set in a grim line, "Okay, let them all out about...twelve feet." As Drakken complied, Kim attached her safety rope, then fished two clamps out of the compartment the harness had been in, and pocketed them. In addition, she found a pair of gloves small enough and flexible enough for her needs. Moving to the rear of the craft, she leaned far over the side nearest the approaching balloon, caught hold of the cable there, and pulled it up. She took one clamp and fixed it securely to the cable, about a foot above the hook at it's end.

Dropping the cable back over the side, she slid over the side herself, and shimmied down the cable to it's end. She then set it to swinging, until she was able to snag the cable on the opposite side with one hand. Using her legs and one arm to pull herself back up a bit, she then used her legs to pull the end of her cable up enough to hook the other to it, placing the hook between the clamp and the hook on her own cable. The clamp was large enough to keep the hook from slipping past it. She then climbed back up into the craft, and pulled both cables up, hooking the free end over the rim of the cockpit.

Going forward, she repeated the process partially, but before she could lower herself over the side this time, Senior's drone appeared from underneath, bringing the free end of the opposite cable with it. Kim grudgingly nodded thanks, as she hooked the two cables together, and then to the rim. She moved both sets closer to the center, asking Drakken to let out a little more cable as she did so.

They were now close enough to hear Junior's frantic cries for assistance, which to Kim's chagrin were mostly directed at his father, and not his obvious rescuers.

Studying the basket as they closed, she noted Bonnie looking at her with barely concealed relief. _"She'll mask that when I get closer, I'm sure! Though, she has been acting differently since her week's suspension, a little less regal. Tara thinks she's sick, but I think she may have matured...marginally." _Then a thought struck her, and she smiled grimly. _"Bonnie and Junior both in that basket! Better not mess this up, or people might suspect I did it on purpose!"_

As they reached talking distance, Bennett Rockwaller tried to take charge. "Young lady, I want you to take my daughter down first, since you obviously can't accommodate us all at once in that...whatever you call it, then come back for me, and lastly..." He directed his glare at Junior, "Our pilot, who is, after all, responsible for this mess!"

"Not going to happen, Mister R!" Kim replied, "There's no time for three, or even two, trips, depending on how much fuel you have left! I'm going to get you all at once, just stay calm, and do as I say!"

"Young woman, I insist..." He broke off as the the sound of the burner changed. The flames wavered, and the burner began to sputter.

"No time to argue!" Kim shouted. Hooking both sets of cables to the back of her belt, she turned to Doctor Drakken. "Rise up level with the burner, once I'm off! And play out the cables to about thirty feet as you do!" He nodded acknowledgment, and she jumped across, swarming quickly up the balloon's rigging, to reach the spots she'd chosen to attach the cables at. As the cables were played out, their weight on her increased, and she grimaced. _"Didn't anticipate that, not a serious oversight, but still should have thought of it!"_

The heat of the burner flames made her flinch back as she came too close, though the warmth was partially welcome. Sorting out which cables she wanted where, she quickly placed them, but then had to work her way back around to untangle her safety line. She gestured for Drakken to go higher, so the basket wouldn't drop too far or too violently, then addressed the three occupants, "Okay, I want you all to get down in the basket, and hold on tightly, this might get a little violent!"

As she fished out her laser lipstick, she looked around for Senior's drone, and found it practically at her shoulder. "Can you cut it loose on the far side, while I do this side? Have to time it..." The burner cut out, "As closely as possible!"

"Of Course!" The drone swept around to the opposite side of the balloon, and extended _two_ laser equipped arms. _"Spankin! I have to be twice as fast!" _Kim thought. Getting a secure hold on the rigging below where she meant to cut, Kim started a countdown. "Okay, Three, Two, One, Cut!" Stretching her arm out, with the laser dialed to maximum intensity, Kim quickly cut the further ropes, then frantically swept the laser through the ones over her head as the others all let go at once.

It wasn't neat and clean, but it worked, the basket fell away from the envelope, and the cables held and arrested it's fall as it swung underneath the hovercraft. A high pitched scream of fear came from it, and Kim couldn't have told who it came from, if she'd been in a position to wonder. But she'd made a slight mistake in her planning. Her safety line wasn't as long as the cables.

She'd been pulled up short by a harness before, but she'd been expecting it then. In addition, she'd looped a bit of the rigging around her left wrist, and the resulting pull before it let go nearly dislocated her shoulder. As it was, the pain shooting through her nearly made her black out, and that arm suddenly became useless, at least for the moment. _"Snap! Wonder if this is karma for teaming up with Drakken? I wish Ron was here!"_ Then she shook her head angrily.

"Kim, are you all right?" It was Bonnie calling from the basket below her.

"_No, I'm freezing, I just really hurt my shoulder, and I just may have helped elect Drakken Mayor of Middleton!" _Her eyes popped open in shock at the last bit. _"Where did that come from?"_ She shook her head again, and righted herself, then called down to the basket. "I'm okay, Bonnie! Not perfect, but I'll live! But, you're going to be on top of the pyramid next Friday, that's for sure!"

Pride forced her to climb back into the hovercraft as it descended, so she wouldn't be dangling beneath it when they reached the ground. Drakken looked at her with genuine concern as she slipped back into her seat, holding her shoulder and shivering uncontrollably. Even with the gloves, she couldn't get her fingers to work properly to unfasten her harness. And she was threatening to turn as blue as Drakken himself.

Drakken steered the hovercraft towards Middleton General Hospital, moving as quickly as he could without upsetting his cargo, and descending as rapidly as possible. "I'm sorry I didn't fly one of the enclosed models today, Kimberley, but the weather was so nice!" Kim didn't respond, so Drakken concentrated on getting her down as quickly as possible.

Spotting a large crowd of reporters who had somehow anticipated events, or were at the hospital for an entirely different reason, Drakken dropped off the basket thirty yards from the emergency entrance as a lure, then landed as close to the entrance as possible, off to one side so as not to block access.

It worked for most of the crowd, but Summer Gale and Rocky Roswell, fierce competitors in the local TV News arena, chose to pursue the hovercraft rather then join the throng around the basket. Summer outran Rocky, a former pro football lineman never known for great speed, and shoved her microphone in Drakken's face. "Doctor Drakken, why are you assisting Miss Possible in her rescue of Candidate Bennett Rockwaller? Aren't you rivals, and enemies? Or rather, enemies and rivals?"

Drakken surreptitiously reached for the switch that electrified the hovercraft's hull, but then saw Anne Possible rushing up on the other side, towards Kim. He turned to Summer, and Rocky, who had just caught up, along with his cameraperson. "The only questions I intend to answer right now are Doctor Possible's, regarding the condition of her daughter, and those questions and answers are none of your concern, so kindly back away!" he demanded.

Unfazed, Summer merely thrust her microphone past Drakken. "Miss Possible, can you explain this situation?" Then she looked Anne in the eye, and wilted immediately, backing hastily away from the hovercraft.

Drakken leaned across Kim, as he began unfastening her harness. "Other then hypothermia, she obviously injured her shoulder, and may have aggravated it by climbing back up and into the cockpit." Kim gave him a sour look, as Anne nodded. "I'll have Doctor Festen check her out, as soon as we've warmed her back up." She turned to wave over a pair of attendants with a gurney. They helped the still-shivering girl out of the hovercraft and onto the gurney, wrapping her tightly in blankets, then pushing her in through the doors to the ER.

Anne lingered a moment to thank Drakken, then headed inside herself. Summer and Rocky pounced again, only to be distracted by a disturbance back by the basket. They looked up to see Junior running away from the press through the parking lot, ripping his tie off as he ran. Then they felt a sudden updraft, and spun back to see Drakken climbing vertically away from them, then accelerating towards Mount Middleton. Frustrated, they hurried back towards the basket, and caught Bennett Rockwaller in mid-speech.

"I wanted to give that young man an opportunity, because I believe it is only his father's influence that has led him astray, and that he is basically a good boy! His interest in my daughter..." he hesitated as he realized Bonnie had slipped away, "Er, did influence me! However, after today, I am no longer certain of his intentions to make good, and therefore reluctantly can no longer wish him well!" Leaving the press to puzzle that one out, he pushed through the crowd and headed towards the emergency entrance. Though the press didn't hinder him much, another voice stopped him.

Senior's drone was hovering besides him. "Mister Rockwaller, as far as accusing me of being responsible for my son's choosing an 'evil' path?" Senior let the question hang for a moment, then smiled evilly, "I certainly hope so! Thank you for the compliment!" Then the drone ascended rapidly away, leaving Rockwaller standing there with his mouth hanging open.

00000000000

Shego was idly paging magazines when Drakken returned to the lair. She noted his preoccupied look,and waited patiently until he had put his purchases away, and taken a painkiller. When he'd settled down at his desk and begun idly sorting through his papers, she broke the silence. "We had another call, more like a plea, from Eddie."

Drakken looked up, frowning, and seemed to take a moment to absorb what she'd said. "Still wants to come stay here?"

Shego nodded, "Yup! But this time he finally admitted why!" she smirked evilly, "Seems he has a posse after him!"

"A posse? What do...Oh, Slim Possible? I'd forgotten about that entirely!"

"Well, Eddie tried to boost the monster truck, and blew it, and now claims that cowboy has chased him through seven states, and won't let up! And I thought Kimmie was determined!" she sauntered over to the desk and leaned one hip on it, crossing her arms. "He's running out of henchmen, and claims Possible has a Native American in his group who keeps claiming he wants to add a blond mullet to his family's collection!"

Drakken snorted in amusement, shaking his head, "Well, if he calls again, tell him Slim has probably got us staked out, so he wouldn't be safe here! Oh, by the way, you may need to get your work-outs somewhere else for a while, I think Kim Possible might be out of action for a while. Oh, and one other thing..." he trailed off, and Shego waited a moment before prompting him, "What?"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. You just might want to polish up your badge, Sheriff, you could be cleaning up Middleton sometime soon!"

00000000000

There were ten minutes left for visitors by the time Kim was settled in a room at the hospital, sharing with a ten-year old girl hurt in a car accident, who's morose outlook on staying in the hospital was brightened considerably when she saw who her roommate was. She in turn cheered Kim up quite a bit.

They were chatting happily when Ron, Monique, and Bernie came in. "KP! I'm so sorry I wasn't there!" Ron began, but Kim stopped him with a raised hand. Her right, since her left arm was in a sling. "Ron, it was a shopping trip, not a mission! I didn't expect to be doing anything like that, and I know how you feel about shopping with me, so No Big, Okay?" she smiled and held out her hand.

Ron grinned sheepishly and took it, squeezing gently. "I'm still sorry, just on principle, Kim. How badly are you hurt?" Rather then answer Kim looked past him, to where the door was cracked open a bit. "Bonnie? You can come in, if you want."

After a moment's hesitation, Bonnie pushed the door open and walked in, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "Hi, K, I just wanted to say...thanks for the save, and all that! And, I hope you're better soon!" She'd barely gotten the words out before she turned as if to flee the room.

"Wait, Bonnie!" Kim exclaimed, "You should hear this, too!" Bonnie hesitated, before turning back and joining the others. Kim sighed deeply, and winced slightly as her shoulder moved. "I had an MRI, and I have a tear in my labrum, enough to need surgery on it. I'm going to be operated on in the morning. Full incision, not arthroscopic, that's the way Doctor Festen prefers to handle it. They say I could need eight weeks or more before it's strong enough to get back to cheerleading, or missions!"

After waiting for their expressions of dismay to run their course, she looked at Bonnie. "So, you're head cheerleader for the rest of football season, at least! I'll still handle all the finicky Captain stuff, if you want." Bonnie nodded, but seemed distracted. "Something wrong, Bonnie?"

Bonnie snapped alert, looking a bit embarrassed, "Oh, No! I mean, I thought this might happen some day, you could say I dreamed about it." She shrugged, "And, I had a nightmare about it, too! Just glad that didn't come true! I've got to go, my Mom's waiting for me, Dad's off doing damage control, or something, with Connie and Lonnie for company! Later, K."

"Later, Bonnie!" Kim shifted her position a bit, and Bernie stepped forward and helped her adjust the pillows. She smiled at the girl, "Think you'll be able to deal with all the inactivity, Kim?"

"No!" Chorused Kim, Ron, and Monique, all smiling widely. Bernie shook her head, "Well, you can try keeping your mind well occupied, at least!"

Kim rolled her eyes, "Well, I've no lack of things to do that with, but now I have less to distract me from this election business and Drakken! After today's little disaster, Bonnie's dad is probably a laughing stock, and Drakken's a hero, of all things!"

"You're the hero, Kim!" her roommate piped up. Kim smiled at her, but shook her head, "No, I couldn't have done it without him, darn it!" She shrugged with one shoulder, "Irony is So the Drama!"

The door opened, and a nurse stuck her head in. "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over, you'll all have to leave, now."

"Aw, man! Well, not before giving my girl a little Ronshine for luck!" Ron leaned down and gave Kim a long kiss, keeping his hands clasped behind his back to avoid accidentally hurting her. When they parted lips, he whispered, "That should hold you through tomorrow, Love you, KP!"

"Love you too, Ron!" She whispered back, cheeks flushed. She reluctantly released his hand. "See you tomorrow?"

"You have to ask?" He teased, "I'd like to be the first face you see when the anesthetic wears off, but I don't think they'll allow that!" He exited, never taking his eyes off hers, followed by Bernie.

Monique lingered, obviously with something on her mind. She glanced at the other bed, then leaned close to Kim and whispered, "Before I go, there's something that really can't wait, I need to know now!"

Kim scowled, mystified. "What?" She asked curiously.

Monique glanced again at Kim's roomie, then leaned closer, and whispered, "If you weren't Jane in the Tarzan dream, who the heck was?!"

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The _Middleton Mirror's _headlines the next morning definitely told a story.

**Rockwaller discovers hot air can be potentially fatal to a politician! **

**Lipsky and Possible on the same ticket? They make a good team!**

Fortunately, Kim Possible was already anesthetized when the morning news came on, or her will to live might have been seriously undermined.

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And so it goes. May drop Junior from this story, have trouble writing him. Had a bigger role for him, but...

Anyway, Please Read and Review, Thank You


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

Quick explanation: I'm using the same background for Shego I created for my 'Four Seasons' stories. She and the other members of Team Go are orphans, who formed a family 'group' in the orphanage, ironically at Shego's instigation. When they got their powers, they were made 'Wards of the City' by Go City's Mayor, Hubert Dew Lewis(Whom Ron has a personal grudge against, and doesn't much resemble the 'Mayor' in his stories). When she arrived at the orphanage as a baby, Shego was given the name Anastasia Black. To some people, she's still 'Ana', even though it's often a deliberate disassociation on their part from her villainous identity.

**Three days before Halloween...**

"Everyone be very quiet, and maybe we can sneak through the forest without being seen!" A young woman wearing a peasant dress whispered to the group following her. She held a very dim lantern in one hand, and was doing an exaggerated tiptoe as she led them along. There were eight small children, ages six to nine, in the group, followed by two teenagers, who both rolled their eyes as they tagged along. "Borrrring!" One whispered, only to have an eight-year-old boy walking in front of him turn and shush him. The teen just smirked, exchanging glances with his female companion.

The lantern's light illuminated what appeared to be a forest on their left, with a sickle moon hanging in the sky above it. Gray leaves rustled slightly, and strands of moss hung from many branches. A few wisps of mist drifted around the tree roots. An owl hooted, and several of the children started, eyes wide as they peered through the trees.

Suddenly their guide stopped, and addressd them, low and urgent, "Oh, No! I think she's coming! Everyone be very quiet, and hold very still!" She turned the light down on the lantern, and the children huddled together, looking around in the dark.

The teenage boy began an exaggerated yawn, then stopped as a light appeared through the trees, appearing to be far in the distance. A second then appeared, and then a third. They bobbed up and down amidst the trees, and began to draw closer to the huddled group. As they came closer they took shape as candles inside human skulls. Feet shuffled slightly in the darkness as they approached.

The teen shook his head, and leaned over to whisper to his girlfriend, "They're just lights on..." 'Wires' caught in his throat as it became clear the skulls were dangling from sticks, and the sticks were being born by three small creatures. Misshapen and shambling, They wore ragged clothes, and had ugly green faces with yellowed teeth, both of which glowed faintly in the dark. Their arms were thin, too thin, and the boy was stumped. _"Puppets?" _But then one of them scrambled onto a low branch and scanned his surroundings far to smoothly for any marionette. The other two stopped as well, and also peered about.

Then part of the darkness behind them became more solid, and a hunched figure appeared as if assembled from shadows. A low, raspy voice issued from it.

"I think there are...children about. Hehehe, oh, yes, I smell children!" A couple of gasps came from the throng, and the faint smack as one child covered their mouth.

A hand, easily visible in the darkness despite apparently being gloved in black, extended from the shadowy form. Something that glowed a sickly green dripped from two bared fingertips to the floor. The hand pointed off to their left. "Are they over there?" All three 'goblins' peered carefully in that direction, then shook their collective heads. The hand disappeared, then it's mate extended outwards to the right.

"Are they over there, then?" The goblins repeated their survey, then shook their heads again. In the meantime, a pot full of candy became dimly visible directly in front of the children, illuminated by some unseen light source. The hand withdrew, and the voice rasped again. "Then they must be..." Breaths were drawn in sharply, "...back over there!" The sharp words made several children jump, but the figure had spun around and pointed dramatically back the way from which she'd come.

The guide now whispered to the children, "Quickly! While she's looking away, grab a piece of candy, and let's sneak away!" The dark figure and her companions continued to peer directly away from them, and the first bold steps were taken towards the prize. The first three children collected their prizes successfully, but the fourth dug his hands deep into the candy and caused it to shift noisily. One of the goblins spun around, squinting hard as it stared directly at them. It grabbed it's mistress' robes and tugged on them urgently. She slowly turned around, as two more children grabbed their prizes. Two glowing green eyes appeared under her cowl, widening as they locked onto the children. "They're taking my candy! Stop them! Turn them into newts!"

"Run! Run! This way!" The guide cried, sweeping aside a dark curtain to reveal a doorway. With a mixture of squeals, shrieks, and giggles, the children all stampeded through the doorway, followed by the teenage girl, who peeked back at the scary figure one more time before she slipped out. The boy lingered, though he kept moving towards the door. Then the dark figure looked straight at him, and the glowing green eyes flared, and he hurried out, followed by the guide.

After a moment, another curtain directly opposite the one used to cover the exit parted, and another woman dressed as a peasant stepped through. Somewhat older then the guide, she fiddled with some controls beside the doorway, and the lighting brightened. The 'Forest' was set up in a large sectioned off part of an old warehouse. The trees were mostly just silhouettes cut from plywood, save one or two more substantial ones, such as the one the 'goblin' had climbed.

"Oh, Ana, you top yourself every year, I swear!" The woman declared, smiling broadly, "And the friend you brought, who plays the Werewolf? He's superb! He knows just how to tone it down for the little kids, but he scares the daylights out of the teenagers, and no mistake!"

Pulling the hood back from her face, Shego smiled in response. "Yeah, he has a lot of talent, I have to admit! More then I expected, at least! And he's enjoying it far more then I had hoped, dammit!" Seeing the puzzled look on the woman's face, Shego grinned and explained. "He's doing this to repay a favor I did for him, which was not quite as enjoyable for me, you see."

The woman didn't seem too enlightened, but she smiled faintly as she replied, "I see. Anyway, these little friends of yours are excellent, as well!" She addressed the compliment to the three 'goblins', who responded with polite bows. The woman half-bowed in response, slightly confused, then spoke to Shego again. "There's a twenty minute break before we send more children through, so you can do as you please until then, Ana."

"Thanks, Erma!" Shego replied, as the woman turned with a wave of her fingers and exited. Shego sighed and leaned against one of the solid trees, pretending to fan her face. The annual charity Haunted House to benefit the orphanage she'd grown up in was one of the few 'good' things she did regularly. It was also one of her biggest secrets. Even though many people _knew_ about it, most of them identified her as Anastasia Black when she did it, her orphanage name.

"I suppose I should be flattered." the familiar voice, with it's cultured English accent, came from behind her. She hadn't heard the speaker approach, which vexed her no end. She still managed to suppress any physical reaction to the surprise she felt, which made her fell slightly better. She turned around casually to regard the speaker, and couldn't help a widening of the eyes as she beheld him. "Whoa, what did you do with that costume? That's much better then it was!"

"You can thank Bates for that, he insisted on modifying it to produce a good deal more of a fear effect." Montgomery Fiske, AKA Monkeyfist, replied, through the false wolf's snout of his mask. He studied the fairly realistic 'paws' that covered his hands. "And I must admit, he did an excellent job of it! He did make it a bit more difficult to remove the mask," He was doing this as he spoke, "Due to the means of making the jaw move realistically, but a very nice job on these fangs!"

Shego nodded in agreement. "And how is he doing in _his_ role?"

"'Zombie Butler', inviting all the older kiddies to the 'Ghoul Feast'? Talk about typecasting! He's in seventh heaven!" Monty looked down at the disguised monkey ninjas. "And I suppose you three are enjoying yourselves as well?" All three bowed deeply, then nodded vigorously. "I thought as much! You know, Shego, you're quite right, I am enjoying myself far more then _I_ expected!"

Shego smirked sourly, "Yeah, well, you get to wear a nice, all-concealing costume for my favor! I had to wear considerably less when doing you yours!"

"Don't tell me you didn't get some thrill from the fact that all eyes poolside were on you!" Monty replied with a smug grin.

Shego rolled her eyes. "Please! As if I needed any proof I was the hottest bod there!"

Monty took his turn with the eye rolling. "Well, in any event, we are even, officially! Tell me, am I the first to be drawn into helping you pull off this event?"

Shego shrugged, "Not really, we had Killigan here last year."

Fiske grimaced, "Don't tell me, he played a 'Phantom Piper'?"

"Hah! We don't have the soundproofing for that! He'd have been haunting the whole place with his pipes! No, he played the 'Headless Highlander'."

"Just as well, in my opinion! Mind you, there is a family bias against bagpipe music among the Fiskes. One of my ancestors shamed the family by fleeing in panic on the battlefield when he heard the bagpipes play!"

Shego looked at him curiously. "Let me guess, 1745, and Bonnie Prince Charlie?"

"1942, El Alamein." He shrugged sheepishly, "It's complicated." He suddenly remembered something, "Bye the bye, do you follow some of the stories floated on the Internet about Possible and Stoppable? Oh, and the boy is writing again, two new stories posted yesterday."

Shego shrugged noncommittally. "Well, sometimes for laughs...why, what's the latest?"

Monty smirked. "Well, there's one that claims that Possible actually hurt her shoulder when she was caught in a tug-of-war between Stoppable and her father, during an attempted elopement! There was a very poorly faked, then blurred, photo accompanying the story, showing her supposedly balancing on a ladder, while being pulled in both directions!"

Shego shook her head. "I swear, after all the press coverage of that rescue, and they print something like that!"

"Ah, but no one filmed Possible before the rescue, to prove she was healthy then!" He chuckled, "And on such flimsy pretexts are all conspiracy theories based!"

Shego rolled her eyes, shaking her head again. "Oh, you said Stoppable's writing again? Any about you?"

Monty shook his head, "No, nor you, either! Didn't read them entirely, just skimmed them, myself! One was called 'Ill-Suited', and the other was...ah! 'Homecoming Upset', I believe!"

Shego grimaced. "Oh, not another Super-Suit story! He'll have Willi Demenz all worked up again! He can't seem to get it through his head that that suit Kimmie beat him up with wasn't hers!" She sighed, shaking her head, "And he still believes I fought Kimmie once while she was wearing it, because of Stoppable's story! When I was dangling him over the mustard, he made a last request, that I tell him my opinion of the suit's capabilities! Mind you, I did think about stealing it, when the suit's builder came to pick it up, but I gave that idea up as soon as I saw _who_ was sent to pick it up! A certain someone in a red and gold color scheme, who I wasn't about to try on, even if I had been at the top of my game that day, which I certainly wasn't!"

Fiske smirked, nodding his understanding, "So, it was the wrong time of..." He suddenly broke off, a mild look of alarm in his eyes.

Shego's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Monty, what have you heard, and who did you hear it from! Possible?"

Monty's expression grew intrigued. "The cheerleader knows? How did she..." The first signs of anger on Shego's face killed his curiosity quickly. "Ah! Well, I heard a little something about how sometimes certain biological...rhythms, will sometimes make it difficult for you to project your plasma efficiently." Since this seemed to be only increasing Shego's agitation, he added, "As to the source, I believe you may have had a house guest with big ears, and no tact, or discretion." The monkey ninjas had backed away from Shego warily.

The look on her face was truly frightening, as she fished her cell phone out of her costume. But she made an effort to get herself under control as she hit speed-dial. "Eddie? It's Shego." She winced, and her grip tightened on the phone. "Eddie, how many times have I told you not to call me that? Especially when you want help? Right, we've changed our mind. Let me know where you'll be tomorrow afternoon, and I will come and _get_ you!" Shego grimaced at her own over-emphasis, but apparently Motor Ed didn't catch it. "Yeah, I can find that! See you tomorrow, Eddie!" The look on her face as she hung up had Monty wondering if someone made floral arrangements in the shape of a Harley.

Erma reappeared through the curtain. Because Shego's back was to her, she couldn't see the expression on the pale thief's face. "Ana! We're going to start some more groups through, are you ready?"

Shego made a visible effort to get herself under control before replying. "Yeah, just give me a minute to get everything ready, then send them through!" She scowled at Monty, and whispered, "How far has this particular 'rumor' spread?"

Monty's reply was muffled as he pulled his werewolf head back on. "Far enough, I'm afraid! Pogo heard it, and he's quite the blabbermouth, and one or two WWEE agents, as well!"

Shego groaned aloud. Paddy O'Gorman, or 'Pogo', who was a world class smuggler of stolen treasures, was bad enough, but if it had gotten around WWEE, she might as well have taken an ad out on Villainnet herself! Then she banished all thoughts on the subject so she could concentrate on her role. Monty had already left, and as the lights dimmed again, she was back in her role as the witch of the forest.

Behind her, one of the goblin/ninjas made a cutthroat gesture to the others. They both nodded sagely, then all three rushed to their places to begin the show again.

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**Two days before Halloween...**

"So, Mrs Graham eloping with Mister Pawluck, the chemistry teacher, was a surprise to everyone?" Bernadette Barr asked Kim as she searched through the contents of a desk drawer in the nurse's office.

Seated on the bed, reading one her textbooks, Kim nodded. "Total surprise! Didn't even know they were interested in each other!" She absently fiddled with the sling supporting her left arm, and sighed for the fifth or sixth time since she'd come in.

Bernie studied her, smiling faintly. "Kim, when the gym teacher excused you from having to attend her class, weren't you supposed to spend the period in the library?"

"I'd rather be here if I'm not in your way, Bernie. I Just can't sit there and watch the other girls exercise, and play games. Not to mention how hard it is to go to Cheer practice and just watch it all! But I have to do that, I'm technically still Captain! But Mrs Phillips saw how miserable I was, and I guess she felt sorry for me." Kim finished with yet another sigh, and her obvious depression made Bernie's heart go out to her.

"I thought by keeping your brain active, you thought you'd be able to compensate for the physical inactivity, Kim?"

"I _did_ think that would work, but I wasn't basing my thinking on experience, I've never faced this long a period of inactivity before. I mean, eight weeks, optimistically, or as long as twelve? I'm not sure I can take sitting around for that long!"

"Well, it could be considered good practice for times later in your life where your activity will be restricted." Bernie commented. She smiled at Kim's puzzled look, "For instance, the later stages of pregnancy?"

Kim's eyes widened, her mouth forming an 'oh', as her cheeks reddened slightly. Then she smiled faintly, and nodded. "You've definitely got a point there, I do intend on having a family, and I intend to do everything right when the time comes!"

"Good!" Happy to have raised Kim's spirits at least a little, Bernie went back to her searching. Finally giving up, she closed the drawer with a huff. "I can't find a key for that cabinet..." She indicated the lefthand one of a pair of wall mounted cabinets, "..anywhere in this office! I didn't care when I was just here temporarily, Mrs Graham insisted there was nothing in them I'd need, but now that I'm here for the rest of the year, I need to see what's in there!"

Kim studied the cabinets. "Well, I could get them open for you." Bernie regarded her suspiciously. "Kim, are you packing lockpicks? To school?" Kim blushed again, grinning sheepishly, then she held up her right wrist, showing Bernie the watch she was wearing. "I've been wearing my mission watch, not entirely sure why! Anyway, I have Wade's lockpicking nanobots in it, they should be able to handle those locks!"

She walked over to the cabinet. "Have to use the manual activation instead of the automatic release, you'll have to do it for me." She showed Bernie how to expose the tiny pop-up keypad in the watch, and the code sequence to enter. Then she held her hand with two fingers extended to touch the lock, and Bernie entered the command. The tiny robots were actually visible to the naked eye, if one was looking for them, and they moved quite quickly across the back of her hand and along her fingers, then into the lock.

"They'll take a few minutes to finish." Kim explained, then her eyes widened, "Oh! I almost forgot! Mom wants me to invite you to dinner tonight, if you can make it!"

Momentary surprise gave way to a grin. "Sure," Bernie replied, "I'd love to, especially since it'll give me an excuse _not _to help with my father's preparations for his annual Halloween party for grown-ups! Tell your Mom thanks for the invite!"

Kim made a face. "Well, actually, we have another guest, who wanted you to be invited."

Bernie's expression became pained. "Please tell me your parents haven't joined the long line of people trying to fix me up with a 'nice, sensitive' guy, Kim, _please?"_

"Oh! No, honest!" Kim shook her head vehemently, "This is definitely _not_ a date! Trust me on that!" She smiled her most reassuring smile.

Bernie still looked wary. "O-kay. One thing, I have to take my foot in to be worked on, so I'll probably be on crutches. I'm sure that isn't a problem, just letting you know."

"Oh." Kim suddenly looked uncomfortable. Then a beep issued from her watch. "Ah, my little friends have done their job! You may now uncover the mysteries of the cabinet...Oh!" Bernie had swung open the cabinet as she spoke, and both women's eyes widened as they beheld the contents.

"Oh, Indeed." Bernie murmured.

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At a roadside convenience store near Bismarck, South Dakota, Slim Possible and his 'posse' were taking things easy. Two King-Cab pick-up trucks towing a horse trailer apiece, as well as a seriously modified SUV, were their transportation. Slim and three of his companions were stretching their legs or drinking sodas, while the fourth was hunched over a computer screen in the back of the SUV.

"How much longer you planning on chasing this fella, Slim?" Henry Grayhorse, one of the pair of Native Americans in the posse, asked, while sipping at a root beer.

Slim stopped pacing, tilted his hat back, and took a long swallow of bottled iced tea before replying. "Well, really didn't plan on it taking this long, to tell the truth! This Motor Ed character sure is slippery!" He took a deep breath and blew it back out, making his mustache dance. "If we don't get him today or tomorrow, I have to get back to the ranch, Joss is hosting a big Halloween shindig for her schoolmates, and I promised to help set it all up. And I'm not breaking my word to my little girl!"

Ken Baker and Charlie Light both rolled their eyes, grinning widely. "Know what you mean, hoss, my little darling is going to that party, and I intend to be there as chaperon!" Ken commented. Charlie opened his mouth to add something, but was interrupted when Walter Singler stuck his head out of the SUV. "Slim! Drone Three has something! Looks like he's holed up in a cave, maybe sixteen miles from here! Unless he's finally found and ditched your homing device!" The posse had six UAVs up searching the area at the moment, all designed by Slim himself.

Slim snorted, then finished his tea with a gulp, tossing the bottle in the trashcan as he strode towards one of the two pick-ups. "He'd sooner chop off his arm as he would ditch his hog, Wally! If the tracker's there, he's there, Let's mount up and get after him! Oh, and Wally? Call up the local Sheriff and square things with him, like for the others we caught."

"You got it, Slim!"

Twenty-five minutes later, all of the posse except Wally were cautiously approaching the cave on horseback. Robot horseback, that is. Tire tracks in the dirt clearly demonstrated the presence of a single motorcycle, which had gone in, but not back out. Coming as close as they dared mounted, the four men got off their horses. Baker readied a rocket-assisted lasso, and took post outside the cave as the other three entered.

Eyes adjusting to the gloom as they advanced, the three men had gone maybe forty feet when they discerned something large dangling from the ceiling by a single rope, slowly turning in place. After studying it for a moment, Slim pulled a flashlight from a belt loop and turned it on, shining it on the object. His eyes widened. "Well, I'll be..."

Slowly approaching, he shone his light all the way up the rope to where it was tied around a piton driven into the cave roof, then ran back down to the expected motorcycle, to which it was firmly tied. Slim sighed, before addressing the object of his interest. "Son, I was planning to open a big old can of whupass on you, but I see someone beat me to it! Someone a whole lot meaner then me, too!"

Dangling upside down, practically naked, and _very_ bald, Motor Ed managed to focus his glassy eyes on Slim. "Mean?...yeah.." he nodded slowly, "...mean...green...Seriously!"

00000000000

"I wish they'd let me have Wade analyze whatever's in those vials, Bernie! Then we'd know if they're really steroids, or not!" Kim groused. The pair were standing a few feet away from the door to the nurse's office, close to a crowd that included Mister Barkin, Principal Cooley, and several law enforcement officers. None of the Tri-Cities maintained a large number of detectives, so they had formed joint squads to handle certain matters. The Tri-City Vice, Narcotics, and fortunately rarely active Homicide Squads were each composed of one detective from each city, with each squad commanded by a detective from a different city.

The head of Vice, for instance, was an Upperton detective, one Kim didn't know the name of. And Narcotics was headed by a Middleton detective, Billie Loomis, whom Kim did know by sight. They were both present in the group, along with Officers Hobble and Kimble, and all three of the school's own security guards.

"Well, the logo on the labels is that of a pharmaceutical company that makes prescription steroids, I know that." Bernie replied, "And then there's the gambling materials! Looks like she ran some kind of lottery, and one or two Fantasy Football Leagues, with cash being involved! Not sure if those others were OTB slips, haven't any experience with those."

Kim scowled fiercely. Having to stay and make a statement to the police had cost her another two classes. And not to be able to assist, to do something useful, was really eating at her. Of course, the fact that the school nurse had been running some kind of gambling operation in the school, possibly among the students, also disturbed her greatly._ "Going all over the world to fight evil, and not knowing what was happening right under my nose! I hate irony!"_

"Hey, Bernie." Kim snapped out of her musings as a sharply dressed man with more then a passing resemblance to Bernie came up to them.

Bernie smiled sourly. "Hi, Frank. DA's office already interested? Oh, and how are things going over there?"

Frank Barr smirked. "Don't care that much, just a brief stopover until Dad arranges that job with the US Attorney's office! But, yeah, still have to keep busy, and this little business ought to be worth some brownie points. Will you be at the house tonight?"

Bernie's smile brightened. "Nope, sorry! Have a dinner date, so I'll have to pass!"

Frank's eyebrows rose. "Really? Well, that'll make Mom happy! Dad too, if the guy meets his approval."

A bit of devilment appeared in Bernie's eyes. "What makes you so sure it's a guy?" A moment's uncertainty flashed across Frank's face, before he snorted, "Yeah, Right!" and walked over to join the main group.

"Family!" Bernie snorted, "You can't choose your own, can you?" She looked at Kim, smiling, "So, just how did you and Ron get so darn lucky?"

Kim smiled back, "Well, that's it, luck, I guess! No evil twins...well, let me get back to you on that! No black sheep...unless you count Ron's Cousin Shawn! And he may have changed since we saw him last!"

Bernie's expression became suspicious. "Ron didn't really use some kind of brainwashing machine on him, did he?"

"Oh, No! He just suffered a personal tragedy, is all. His pet iguana died in a freak manner, that's all!" Kim replied. "Might have gotten a new one by now, though!" She added in an undertone.

"And did Ron have anything to do with the 'freaky' part?"

"Um, no, not really. Or, you could say we both were indirectly responsible!" She shuffled her feet nervously as Bernie's look became even more curious. "You see, Gemini had us under surveillance at the time, his usual stuff? Anyway, Oscar spotted a Fly-on-the-wall cam and, well, thought it was lunch! He swallowed it, and apparently the WWEE technician at the other end hit the self-destruct button, and...well, it was kind of messy, to tell the truth!" Kim looked a little green around the gills, Bernie just looked incredulous.

"Um, I see! Well, that had to be traumatic, having your pet...explode like that, or whatever happened." Bernie tried to sound sincere, but the corners of her lips began to twitch.

Kim nodded solemnly, eyes wide. "Oh, it exploded, all right! I mean, not bad enough to hurt Shawn, but...there were bits of Oscar all over the room!"

Bernie turned away, covering her mouth. "It must have been a terrible thing to see! Um, listen Kim, to change the subject, quickly, what I said to my brother was just to pull his chain, I date guys, just not very many of them, is all."

Kim nodded vigorously. "Oh, I know that! I remember a couple of them hanging around when you were babysitting me."

Bernie made a face. "Oops! Thought I was more discreet then that. Anyway, none of them led to anything, not even a really hot date! To tell the truth, I was twenty before...you know! Can't believe I'm telling you this, except I trust you. Which is why I'm not bugging you about who this mystery guest at your house tonight will be."

Kim smiled, "And I thank you for your forbearance! Uh, I know that man!" She pointed at a fortyish, balding man approaching, followed by two men and a woman carrying... "Are those cases of specimen jars?"

Bernie nodded. "Um, Yep! That's Doctor Harring, he's probably here to test the football team for steroids, before word gets around about this!"

Kim nodded back,a look of satisfaction on her face. "Oh, right, I should have recognized him!" Then she winced, "I wish I could warn Ron, he always gets real nervous when...well, let's just say that sometimes I wish he wouldn't share so many details of his life!"

"Has trouble...gee, I have no idea how to phrase this, talking about a friend!"

"No Big, we both know what we're talking about! I sometimes envy his...bladder control." Kim blushed, "I can't believe _I'm_ talking about this! Well, I do know Monique wouldn't want to listen to this, so I guess I'm using you as an outlet for it, hope it doesn't offend you!"

Bernie shook her head, chuckling softly. "No, not at all! Well, I wonder when I'll be let back into the office, final bell is in five minutes. Maybe I'll ask Mister Barkin to lock up for me, so I can go home and change for dinner!" She walked over to Barkin and Cooley, and spoke to them quietly. As she did, Billie Loomis broke away from the group and approached Kim.

"Hey, Kim, how's the arm? Ah, forget that, weak small talk is my curse! Seriously, though, do you have that gadget of yours on you, that can give me a preliminary analysis of this?" She held up one of the vials that had been in the cabinet, holding it in a gloved hand.

"Oh, sure! Just a minute!" Kim pulled the Kimmunicator from it's holster and switched it on. Wade looked surprised, and pleased, to see her. "Hey, Kim! What up?" Then he scowled suspiciously, "Not getting involved in something dangerous, are you?"

"So Not! I Just need an analysis of some stuff we found in the nurse's office, it might be steroids, can you run a chem analysis for the police?"

"Blindfolded, with one hand behind my back! In the container, or can you put a sample in the analyzer?"

"One sec there, Wade!" Kim looked at Billie, "What do you think?"

Billie shook her head. "Has to be in the container, for now." Bernie came back over at this point, and studied the vial herself. "Wade, you might want to check out the label, something is just not right about it." She suggested.

"Got it! 'kay, Kim, set it up!" Kim suddenly winced. "Bernie, can you pull this little tab? It removes the cover for the scanner eye." After that was done, Kim pointed the eye at the vial. "Go, Wade."

A few moments passed, before the boy genius spoke. "Got it, Kim! Give me three minutes to run the data!"

"Better get out of the hallway then, bell's about to ring!" Bernie commented. Detective Loomis nodded, looking around for an option. "Utility closet?" She pointed across the hall. Kim and Bernie nodded, so the trio quickly crossed to the door and went inside, Bernie finding and turning on the lights. Then they waited patiently for Wade, as the bell rang, and the hall outside rapidly became noisy.

"Okay, Got it!" Wade announced. He then frowned at the readouts. "Um, it's mostly nothing. There's a little bit of steroids, just enough to register as a positive result in a test, and some stimulant, and, um, another drug." As he trailed off as if finished, the three women exchanged puzzled glances. "Another drug, Wade?" Kim prodded him.

Wade looked embarrassed. "Well, it's one that's usually used by older guys? Mostly comes in a little blue capsule?"

Kim was only puzzled momentarily, then realization dawned, and her cheeks reddened. "What? Wha-why?"

Bernie was nodding. "It's a placebo! Taking it makes a guy feel real good, in ways he would equate with being...strong? Anyway, if guys are taking this before they play...it's taken by injection, though, so she's still in serious trouble, if she's been handing it out for their own use!"

Loomis shook her head grimly. "Even if the mix is harmless, she's still breaking the law! Though, the narcotics charges may take a back seat to the gambling ones. Does anyone know where the happy couple eloped to?" Then another thought struck her, "And you say she eloped with the chemistry teacher?"

Wade broke into the conversation. "I was also going to say, the label is a fake! It's missing the fine-print with the manufacturer's name, and the date it was bottled."

"Score one for Bernie!" Kim commented. "Though forging the labels would only be a crime if they sold this stuff for profit, right?"

Loomis just scowled. "We'll see, we'll see!"

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"So, these are the famous 'rocket skates'?" Bernie asked Kim, a few hours later. They stood in the den of Kim's home, looking at a wall festooned with a number of 'retired' gadgets from her world-saving career.

Kim sighed, smiling fondly. "Yep! They went on over my shoes, though, running around with rocket fuel in the soles of my shoes was _not_ a very safe idea! I loved them when they worked, but they had too many problems, especially with balancing! Had to put so much weight forward to compensate for the thrust down low, I was vulnerable to overbalancing, among other things!" She pointed at another item. "And that's the original rocket backpack! Wade actually made the controls _too_ sensitive! If I sneezed while airborne, I usually ended up in the wrong attitude! Never mind the problems my quick reflexes sometimes got me into!"

Bernie shifted her weight on her crutches, and pointed at a smaller item. "That the stinky lip gloss?"

"Yeah, had to stop carrying that because I couldn't get the smell out of my _own_ clothes! Wade came up with some better stuff, but needed a different kind of delivery system. I..."

"KIM! Ronald's here!" James Possible's voice sounded from the living room.

Kim rolled her eyes, and smiled at Bernie. "Ready to hear his 'giving a specimen' rant?"

Bernie took a deep breath, then nodded, "Ready! Lead on!" They went back out to the living room, and found Ron sulking on the sofa. Kim suddenly stopped. "Oh, no! Ron isn't supposed to be here for dinner!" She whispered sharply to Bernie.

Bernie scowled, puzzled. "Why not?"

Kim grimaced, then shook her head, "Never mind, maybe it'll be all right! Have to wait and see what our guest of honor says!" She forced a smile onto her face, and went to greet her boyfriend.

Ten minutes later, Ron's rant was over, and he was voicing serious concerns. "..and they say if the tests aren't completed in time, we'll have to forfeit the Halloween night game with Lowerton!"

Kim took his hand and squeezed it. "Don't worry, they'll be done! Wade analyzed the contents of one vial, there wasn't anything that would really make using them illegal!" The doorbell rang, and Kim started to rise before her father emerged from the dining room and waved her back down. "I've got it, Kimmie-cub!"

Ron and Bernie both directed their attention to the door, curious as to who the newcomer was. Bernie might have recognized her from her description alone, but Ron confirmed any guess she might have had, immediately. "Doctor Director?"

The Director of Global Justice's North American Division, dressed in casual civilian clothes, frowned curiously at Ron. "Ronald? I didn't know you'd been invited?"

Ron grinned broadly, "Well, I wasn't actually, but you know me!" Kim rolled her eyes, while regarding Betty Director nervously, awaiting her reaction.

Betty smirked. "Oh, yes, I certainly do! Well, I guess it'll be all right."

Anne Possible entered from the dining room. "Dinner is ready, everyone! Wash up, if you haven't! Hello, Betty, nice of you to come."

Betty smiled at her hostess. "Well, since I asked for this get-together, I pretty much had to show up, didn't I?"

Dinner proceeded pleasantly enough, with small talk and compliments to the cook. Only one thing marred the meal. The main course was chicken cutlets in lemon-butter sauce, and Kim fumed because she needed them to be cut up for her. Ron did the honors, while Anne flashed an apologetic look at her daughter. Raking together the last of the wild rice and peas accompanying the chicken was also a minor trial one-handed, but Kim persevered and managed to clean her plate.

Sipping her wine after finishing off her own plate, Betty Director studied Kim for a moment, then nodded, and began to speak. "Now, I know you're all curious about why I wanted this meeting arranged, so let's get it out of the way before desert." She smiled inwardly at Ron's disappointed look, then continued, "I wanted to tell Kimberley and Bernadette that an official version of the events that occurred last year at this time has been decided on, and will be made public next week."

Both Kim and Bernie frowned, while the others looked puzzled. Ron, of course, spoke first. "What happened last year? I mean, okay, I missed something?"

Kim smiled at him. "A few things, Ron! But this was that three day mission I went on without you, at the request of GJ."

"Correction, at the request of my former Deputy, Miss Possible!" Betty's response had a bit of an edge to it, and she winced as she realized it. "Sorry, but it's a serious sore spot with me that you got involved in that business." She looked at Bernie, "As it is with the Secretary of the Navy, and others, that you and your shipmates were!"

"We never actually heard exactly how we got involved, or what we were involved in, even!" Bernie replied, and Kim nodded agreement.

"Well, I can tell you more of it, now! It seems an employee of a certain agency was mounting an operation. It was a secondary one, and he promised his superiors that he'd pull it off with his own limited assets. His people assembled a package, and stashed it in a certain foreign city, but then had to flee without it. Now, all this man, who we'll call Mister Folks, had to do was ask the local people from his agency to pick the package up. As professionals, they could probably have collected it without difficulty. But, that's not what Folks did."

"He called a old college buddy serving in the Office of Naval Intelligence. The buddy's kid brother was part of a group of six sailors on leave in the city in question. Somehow, Folks got the buddy to call his brother, and get him to pick the package up. And the brother for some reason decided to take his shipmates along when he went to do so. And they were 'arrested' by men impersonating local policemen." She paused to sip her wine again. "They were taken to a secluded location, and tortured for information. Since they didn't have what their captors wanted, the torture became pretty brutal."

"But, this was in the news last year!" James exclaimed, "Sailors believed kidnapped by terrorists, but not a lot of details!" He looked at Bernie. "I'm certain your name was never mentioned."

Anne frowned as she recalled the story. "But, the final story said no terrorists were involved, just some sort of corrupt officials detaining them."

Betty shook her head. "Not true! Anyway, Folks now tried again to get his package. He contacted another old acquaintance, my Deputy, and asked him for help. Now, GJ Agents are _not_ taught to be blindly obedient, so most agents would have questioned orders that deviated from standard operating procedure. One however, wouldn't, Will Du. But, my Deputy needed two agents to fill the cover roles Mister Folks provided, and the second had to be female. He couldn't find a GJ female agent he could count on not to ask awkward questions, so he contacted Kim, instead! And once again, I apologize on behalf of Global Justice, she should _never_ have been asked!"

Kim spoke up now. "But, we weren't told about the sailors, just about the package, so that was all he cared about?"

Betty shrugged. "Maybe, or it was just his main priority. Anyway, thanks to Will's obtuseness with regard to Kim's 'amateur' status, he insisted on making the pick-up alone, but Kim fortunately followed him. Will was grabbed by the same fake police, but Kim was able to follow them back to their hideout. Despite, I may add, some strenuous maneuvers by the kidnappers to throw off any pursuit. Considering Kim's lack of knowledge of the city she was in, the fact she kept up with them deserves exceptional praise." Kim blushed as both of her parents beamed proudly at her.

"Seeing the odds against her, she chose not to try a solo rescue. She then disobeyed her instructions, given by my Deputy, by contacting Wade. He connected her directly with me, and I was quite angry, to say the least! I got things rolling, and a rescue operation was mounted, mostly by the local government's own special forces, with a few American operatives involved. And Kim, of course, who managed to distract the kidnappers from executing one of their prisoners, without alarming them and causing them to act rashly. And the official story will be very close to the truth, only leaving out the nature of the package, and changing a few names."

She looked at Bernie. "Among other things, you may be getting a medal, to go with your Purple Heart."

Bernie frowned. "Me? What did I do to deserve a medal in that mess?"

"You treated your shipmates' wounds during your captivity, despite your own, and at least one of them would have died before the rescue without your care." Betty responded.

Anne had an angry scowl on her face as she spoke to Bernie. "You mean, you lost your foot because of injuries someone _deliberately_ inflicted on you, not because of an explosion in Iraq?"

Bernie nodded solemnly. "And I wasn't the worst hurt! Three of us had to leave the Navy because of our injuries." She looked across the table at Kim, "And Kim has been wondering if the delay in waiting for the 'cavalry' contributed to my losing my foot, which it didn't, and feeling guilty for no reason! I've been questioning some of my own actions with just as little cause, I think we both need to just move on."

"She wouldn't be Kim if she didn't wonder if she could do something better." Ron interjected, "She never worries about things she can't change, doesn't let not knowing what's coming slow her down, but after a mission? Oh, yeah, she can obsess on things she thinks she could have done better!" He smiled warmly at Kim, who after a moment's annoyance, smiled back.

"I have one question, though," James Possible asked, "Exactly what 'cover' did this Will Du and my daughter have, on the mission?"

Kim colored slightly. "Um, boyfriend and girlfriend, but we only just checked into the hotel, before going after the package, honest!" _"We'll just skip the little plumbing mix-up, and Will dashing to my 'rescue', shall we?"_ Kim then turned to Doctor Director, "And can you tell us what the package was? Was it vital information?"

Betty was slow to answer, and spoke slowly as she did. "Actually, no. It just confirmed some intelligence that our side already had, and made a certain senior officer look very wise, indeed. Which is what Folks was hoping, that by coming up with the information, he'd earn the approval of that officer, and his favor in the future."

Silence followed that statement, with angry head-shaking by some. Finally, Anne Possible spoke up. "Well, to get this evening back on a positive note, shall we have desert, everyone?" The mood eventually lightened slightly, with a switch of conversation to the upcoming election.

In answer to a question from Kim, Betty grimaced before answering, "Actually, Drakken's candidacy for public office causes a problem for us, Kim! We're an international law enforcement agency, we have to be very careful about appearing to interfere in local politics. We've always been limited in some ways when it comes to acting unilaterally. Against WWEE, and certain others, we have _carte blanch, _but in other cases, we have to follow certain protocols regarding local law enforcement. As far as Drakken running for Mayor, we can't touch him locally. Federal agencies can, but none of them is in a hurry, for various reasons. Primarily because of having to present their case in court! With Drakken, describing his plots and plans in court is liable to result in the prosecutor being ordered to take a drug test!"

"Kimmie-cub, I don't think you need to worry, no one who's met Drew is ever going to vote for him!" James tried to reassure his daughter.

"But Dad, that's not relevant here! Joe Geary and Bennett Rockwaller are self-destructing, and Drakken's getting votes by default! There was a poll taken where he got 24 of the votes!"

"Well, there you go, sweetheart! Either Joe or Ben have to have a bigger share, right?" James replied with a reassuring smile.

"No, they're both tied, one point _behind_ Drakken! Twenty-eight percent are undecided, and two percent are voting for the former Mayor, Arnold Upton!"

Her father frowned. "But, he's 98 years old, and living in a retirement home in Arizona!"

"Well, most of the people voting for him are eighty-five or older, they might just be fixed in their habits! But that's not the point, the point is, Drakken's leading in that poll!" Kim was a bit flushed from her own vehemence as she finished.

"But there's still the debate on Monday! Drew has never been much of a public speaker, I'm sure Bennett Rockwaller will make a better impression, even if Joe Geary doesn't!" James responded with certainty. Kim just frowned dubiously, but decided to leave the matter at that.

An hour or so later, Kim began to have difficulty staying alert, and finally excused herself to turn in. Ron accompanied her upstairs, and looked up at the ladder to her attic bedroom dubiously. "I still wish you'd done what your mom asked, and moved into the guest bedroom, KP!"

Kim smiled tiredly, touched by his concern. "What, and give up my private bathroom, after Dad finally went through with putting it in for me during the summer?" Then she sighed heavily, "Mom has to help me with so many things now, it's embarrassing! She means well, and I _do _need the help, but...seven to eleven more weeks! I don't know if I can manage that, Ron, honestly! I have to be _so_ careful not to reinjure my shoulder, it'll drive me crazy, I know it!" She leaned into him, letting him wrap one arm around her and pat her on the back.

"You'll make it, KP, you can do anything! And it's not your responsibility if something happens between now and then with the superfreaks. The world can take care of itself, you need to take care of yourself!"

Kim pulled back slightly and smiled up at him. "Bernie said it might be good practice for later times when I have to be very careful." She hesitated a moment, before continuing quietly, "Like when I'm pregnant with a little Stoppable, a few years from now?"

Ron blinked several times rapidly, a slightly unsettled smile on his face. "Um, that's really thinking ahead, isn't it, KP? I mean, we...will be having a family, won't we?" he ended in a tone of wonder, the smile becoming more assured.

"Yes, Potential Boy, we certainly will!" She gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek, then turned and ascended to her room. The effect of that little kiss, and the words that had been spoken, far exceeded those credited to the 'big kiss' in Ron's 'Emotion Sickness' tale. He was still standing there dazed when a curious James Possible came up the stairs to see what was going on. Studying Ron's expression, James actually smiled. _"I haven't seen that expression before, but I suspect I had it on my own face once or twice!"_ His thoughts drifted away on some pleasant memories for a few moments, then he came back to reality.

Adopting a serious expression, he reached out and touched Ron on the shoulder, and almost grinned at the violent start that resulted. "Oh! Mr Dr. P!" Ron exclaimed, then looked guiltily up through the hatch, and lowered his voice, "Sorry, I guess I zoned out a bit, there!" Above him, seated on her bed as she worked her way into her nightclothes, Kim smiled happily as she heard him.

"That's okay, Ronald, but you should get going now, you need your sleep, too!"

James put an arm around Ron's shoulders and led him down the stairs. Bernie had already left, and Doctor Director was leaving, talking quietly to Anne as they stood in the doorway. "...wouldn't recommend or even mention experimental therapies to Kim, she'd do anything, I think, to cut down her recovery time." Betty was saying, with Anne nodding agreement. She broke off as Ron approached, giving him a warm smile. "I see you've put a couple of new stories up, Ron, glad to see your inspiration hasn't dried up."

Ron grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, and already apologized for one. I didn't think Junior had broken up with Bonnie when I wrote one of them, and I told her I didn't mean to hurt her, or anything, in school today."

"And what did she say?" Anne asked, curiously.

"Not to worry, she knew she was one of the 'villains' in the story, and not to change that, and the more the stories differed from reality the better, right now! She didn't really explain what she meant by that, but she told me to keep portraying her as the same girl." Ron shrugged. "I just don't understand women!"

That caused the three adults to chuckle, and James clapped him on the back. "Trust me, Ronald, you never will!"

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Upstairs, Kim settled herself into bed in the position she needed to protect her shoulder. So far, she hadn't gotten used to it, and had slept poorly ever since her return from the hospital. She sighed as she reached for the off-switch on her lamp, when her Kimmunicator went off. Surprised, she picked it up and turned it on, and was surprised at the face that appeared. "Uncle Slim? What's up?"

"Kim, darlin, you know that varmint, Motor Ed? You wouldn't happen to know who his next of kin is, would you?"

An alarmed look flashed onto Kim's face. "Next of kin? Is he dead?"

"Oh, no, Kim, didn't mean to scare you! No, it's just, I may need someone to sign some commitment papers, if he doesn't start saying something besides 'Green', 'Mean', and 'Seriously' by tomorrow!"

Kim's brow furrowed in consternation. "Green? Mean? What did he do to tick off Shego this time?"

Leaving it there for now. Changing the category, I think, definitely not a simple humorous romp anymore.

Please Read and Review.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

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**The day before Halloween.**

Shego slipped into the lair before dawn, and was surprised to find Doctor Drakken up, sipping cocoa-moo, and studying a map. "Um, morning, Doctor D!"

"Good Morning, Delilah!" He responded, without looking up.

Shego winced. "Oh, you heard?"

Drakken nodded. "Oh, yes, indeed! Mother had me on the phone for ninety minutes, describing all the terrible things done to 'poor Eddie' by some unknown maniac!" He looked up to catch Shego's gaze. "Whatever did he do to make you go so hard on him?"

Shego actually shuffled her feet guiltily as she replied. "Well, two things, actually! But, I didn't set out to go so hard, I had cooled off a lot on my way to meet him, but I guess his karma is running really badly, lately, because I found my second reason just before I got there!"

Drakken frowned. "What was the first reason?"

"Well, he apparently overheard us discussing the reason my plasma blasts sometimes lose coherence about a foot from my fingertips, and blabbed it around!"

Drakken blushed slightly, and sipped more of his drink before replying, "Well, that was certainly unwise of him! And the second reason?"

Shego hesitated, trying to decide where to start. "About a month before he had that 'fumigation' problem, and moved in with us? He asked me to be his 'Babe' on this Internet, or maybe Villainet, site. Apparently it's a status thing. He wanted me to pose in some outfits, and he'd post the pictures there, to show up some of his rivals. But, the outfits were the 'not-caught-dead-in' kind, as far as I'm concerned! Not that I would have done it anyway, you understand?" Drakken merely shrugged, so Shego continued.

"So, anyway, I was almost to his hideout when I spotted two bikers heading away from it. One was Eddie's size, and I thought maybe he'd been flushed out, so I intercepted them. Wasn't Eddie, after all! But, they recognized _me_, and not for the right reason! One asked me to autograph a picture he'd downloaded from that website. It was taken in my room here. I'm sitting on the bed, combing my hair, and apparently had just hit a snag, from the look on my face! The problem was, the pained expression on my face was _all_ I was wearing!"

Drakken looked astonished, then shifted to anger. "Eddie planted a camera in your room? That--that's an incredible abuse of our hospitality! Do you think he faked that fumigation business just to get in here?"

Shego nodded emphatically. "Oh, Yeah! Anyway, with that incident fresh in my mind, I went a little overboard, maybe!"

"Not at all!" Drakken replied forcefully. "Tell me, did you do anything to make his baldness permanent?" Shego shook her head in reply. "Pity! There is a limit to what one should tolerate, even from family!"

"Tell me about it! I was sure the annual 'sic Team Go on the Haunted House' gag wouldn't happen this year, Mego swore he'd screen all calls to the tower, but someone got word to Hego that Monkeyfist was in town, and the big blue goof came roaring into last night's performance. Just like with Killigan, the year before! I swear, if I ever find out who keeps pulling that gag..." She stopped, shaking her head, "At least he realized what was going on almost immediately, when he saw the kids! Not like last year, when he crashed into the 'Haunted Tomb' set, and ended up wearing a giant spider's web! Ruined it, too, after all the hard work, and made us change our venue, again!"

"How many times has he fallen for the same joke?" Drakken asked curiously.

Shego squeezed her eyes shut, remembering. "Well, not counting the first time, when the whole team fell for it, three out of five years. Now understand, we send them a notice every year, telling them where we'll be operating, but they have such a backlog of mail, according to Hego, anyway, that they never get to it until mid-November! Not sure I buy that, but I know Hego isn't _that _dumb!" She had gotten close enough to see what Drakken had been studying, and her brow now furrowed. "Are those the plans for the Tri-Cities power grid?"

"Um, yes, they are!" Drakken replied, half-guiltily. "Not reviving my plan for the remotely powered attack drones, I'm just curious about this proposal for the Middleton Plaza Resort complex that's such a hot issue in the election."

Shego looked at him incredulously for a moment, then curiosity got the better of her. "The one where they're hoping Payton Hillsbury will build a hotel here? Providing none of his children run up any million dollar legal fees anytime soon?"

"Yes, that's the one! I'm--actually thinking of attending the debate on Monday." He added, tentatively, then continued, "I mean, I _am_ a candidate!" defensively.

Shego nodded, pursing her lips. "Yeah, you are, and it's too late to pull out now, right? Well, good luck with that, I need to get back to Go City, soon as I pick a few things up." She turned her back on him before rolling her eyes, and stalked off towards her quarters.

Drakken eyed her suspiciously, then shrugged and resumed perusing the plans.

Directly above him, a rather odd-looking mouse lurked around the ventilator grill. It moved a little jerkily, and had odd, glassy eyes. It might also have had a smug grin on it's face at the moment, if it reflected the face of it's controller. But that would have been wiped away a moment later when a sound behind it caused it to spin around.

A much larger robot, which had rolled up soundlessly on eight independently mounted wheels, loomed over it. It had the likeness of a cat's face painted on it's front surfaces, and wielded a hammer on the end of a mechanical arm. Before the 'mouse' could evade, the hammer swung down and squashed it.

The sound of the hammer's impact caused Drakken to look upwards. The three beeps that followed it brought a smile to his face. "Good Kitty!"

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Wade growled in frustration as he lost contact with his mouse-bot. "How did he detect me this time? Well, I got some good gossip, I think I'll let Ron hear it, might inspire him! He'd better not do a story about nude photos of Shego, though, that might be pushing her _too _far! Wonder what made Motor Ed so desperate to impress his buddies that he'd risk Shego's wrath? Hmmm..."

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Anne Possible sat on the side of the bed in the master bedroom, wrapped in her robe, listening intently to the sounds coming from overhead, as Kim prepared for the day. She had to get up earlier these days, needing more time to do things one-handed. After needing some help the first few days, she now insisted to her mother that she could handle most things now, but it didn't stop Anne from worrying. _"I barely let it bother me when she dashes all over the world, chasing villains, but here I am worrying she'll have an accident in her own bathroom!"_

She'd heard Kim fill the tub earlier. She needed to keep her stitches dry, so a shower was problematical. One small price for giving Kim her own bathroom was that the noise of the running water sounded clearly in her parents' room. Right now, though, Anne didn't regret it.

Now she heard Kim open the drain, and the sound of the water running out. Then footsteps, and other sounds of movement. The medicine cabinet opening and closing, and finally Kim moving out of the bathroom. And then came the shriek.

Anne was out the bedroom door before her mind processed the fact that the shriek was not of pain, but of outrage. She also heard several thumps and bangs from upstairs as she rushed towards the ladder to Kim's loft. She reached it and looked up just in time to dodge an object that fell through it, bounced off a step, and landed at her feet.

It was a flattened ovoid made of silvery metal, with four small ducted fans around it's edge. One of these was broken, the other three spinning furiously as the device tried to rise off the floor. Anne put a foot firmly down on top of it. "Boys!" She yelled. A moment later she was startled as a voice with a German accent came from the object. "Please be advised that this device will self-destruct in thirty seconds!"

Anne involuntarily pulled her foot off, and the device shot unsteadily into the air. "Ah, fooled you!" The voice gloated. Then a bolt of blue energy hit the device, all three remaining fans ceased working, and it dropped to the floor again.

The twins came rushing over, Jim holding the device with which he'd zapped the drone. James appeared from the opposite direction, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Leaving the three of them to deal with the intruder, Anne climbed the ladder to the loft to see how her daughter was.

The three Possible males surrounded the fallen device, crouching down to get a better look at it. "We need to find out who made this, boys!" James told his sons.

"We can analyze it's components, maybe reconstruct it's programming for clues!" Tim replied enthusiastically.

"Or," Jim replied, while lifting one side of the drone with a telescoping probe. "We can just read the return address written on the bottom!"

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"You did Vat!?" Professor Dementor bellowed into his brother-in-law Myron's face, "You put a mailing address on my drone?"

Wiping some spittle from his face, Myron replied smugly, "I was only following the orders of our new CEO, my darling wife..."

"I know who our new CEO is, she is mine sister, after all! And you! I hired you in good faith, and all you do is learn all my financial secrets, so she could carry out this treacherous hostile takeover! She cannot run this business, her only previous experience was running the family pastry shop! I am a world-class scientist with ambitions to take over the world, I cannot put my home address on my equipment!"

"Well," Myron replied righteously, "Perhaps you could use the company assets for more profitable and commercial uses!"

Dementor gawked at him for a moment, before snapping his mouth shut with a snap, grinding his teeth as he tried to control his temper. "All of my assets are _not_ company assets, you nincompoop! And if you misuse or label any of _my_ assets again, I vill sue you! If I live long enough, that is!"

Myron looked perplexed, "Do you have some health issues you haven't revealed? The new company medical coverage is very reason--"

Dementor was practically livid as he cut Myron off. "Nein, Nein, you idiot! Don't you realize, _Fraulein_ Possible knows where that drone came from! And she will be _very_ angry, trust me!"

"But, she has a broken arm, doesn't she? She isn't likely to come after you, is she?" Myron replied, reasonably. "And besides, what were you doing snooping around her bathroom at all? Sounds a little perverted, to me!"

Dementor face turned livid. "She wasn't supposed to be there! She was supposed to be in school...wait, is she on Central Time, or Mountain, I get those mixed up...Never mind! And stop looking at the computer, I have already deleted the video!"

Myron started guiltily, then snapped back, "Well, my point stands, Miss Possible is in no condition to retaliate!"

"Then it will be _Herr _Stoppable who comes after me! And you don't want _him_ after you, if you've done something harmful to _Fraulein_ Possible! Especially if she isn't along to restrain him! I have to do something to stop him!" Then his eyes narrowed, "Or placate him!"

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Ron sauntered into the Possible dining room to find James and the boys at the table, but no sign of Kim or her mother. "KP running late today?" He asked the tweebs as he plopped into an empty chair. Rufus popped his head out of Ron's pocket, but cold cereal didn't interest him much, and he withdrew.

"Um, yeah, she's running a little late." Jim replied, looking to his father for guidance on what to tell Ron. But the phone rang, and James jumped to his feet to answer it instead.

"James Possible! Oh, Good Morning, Henry, how are things...what! When did that happen? And why am I only hearing about it now? Yes, I'll go see the Sheriff, and bail the idiot out! See you later, Henry." He hung up with a scowl on his face.

"What's the matter, Sir?" Ron asked him.

"Oh, some of the lab techs put the scaled-down test version of our new rocket engine in a drag racer, and tried it out at the Tri-City Drag Strip. Now the engine is somewhere in the middle of Lake Middleton!"

"But, that's two miles from the drag strip!" Ron exclaimed. Tim and Jim responded with "Cool!"

James nodded. "Yes, quite impressive. Just the engine, mind you, the dragster is all over the track, or was last night! Fortunately, the ejector seat worked. Maybe I should have let them put it in Kim's new car! The ejector seat, not the engine, though they proposed that, too! In any event..." Then he stopped dead, and looked at Ron, who's eyes were practically bugging out. "Uh, Ron, not a word to Kim, do you understand? It's supposed to be a surprise! The car, that is! Mind you, it was supposed to be a birthday present..."

"Mum's the word, Mr Doctor P!" Ron replied, then frowned, "But KP's birthday was in August!"

"Um, of course it was! But you see, I took the car out to the Space Center, and asked for suggestions to improve it. That was six months ago! Lot of ideas in a place like that! Mind you, we had to uninstall nearly as many as we put in! Started out with my old SL Roth coupe, and now..." He paused thoughtfully, "I _believe _the volume tuning knob on the radio is still part of the original vehicle, but that's all!" He looked towards the stairs, from whence came the sound of Kim and Anne's voices. He leaned close to Ron, and whispered, "Not a word! Until her shoulder heals, I don't want to give her another reason to rush things!" Ron nodded in agreement, as Kim and her mother entered.

"Hey, KP!" Ron greeted his girlfriend. She smiled back, but a bit weakly, to his eyes.

"Hey, Ron! Sorry to keep you waiting!" Kim sat down next to him, as her mother went to fix her a bowl of cereal. She looked around at her brothers and father. Trying to sound matter of fact, she asked, "What have you guys been talking about?" The guilty look that popped up on Ron's face made her immediately jump to the wrong conclusion. She turned an accusing glare on the tweebs. "You told him?" They shook their heads frantically, and Kim winced.

"Told me what?" Ron asked warily. Kim blushed, realizing her own mistake, then turned herself in her seat to face towards him, taking one of his hands in her free one. "I'll tell you, but first you need to make me a promise! You're going to concentrate on getting ready for Friday night's game with Lowerton, you're not going to do a thing about...what I'm going to tell you about, until after the game, will you promise me that?"

Ron clamped his jaw shut deliberately as he tried to resist his automatic reflex to give in to Kim. But his resolve weakened quickly, mostly because she did _not_ use her Puppy Dog Pout, but simply gazed solemnly into his eyes. "All Right, I promise!" After hearing the story, though, his anger turned mostly on himself. "He was looking for the suit again, wasn't he? It's all my fault, writing another story with it! I swear I'll never do it again, KP!"

"NO!" Ron recoiled from the vehemence of Kim's response. "Ron Stoppable, you are not going to let him, or anyone else, shackle your imagination, do you hear me? A lot of people read your stories, and they mostly love them! They like the way your mind works.." Kim grinned slightly and rolled her eyes, forcing a smile onto Ron's lips, "Most of the time, anyway! Dementor has an obsession, and not writing stories about the suit will not make it go away! You write what you want to write, remembering those guidelines we agreed on of course," Kim's gaze sharpened, and Ron nodded a quick assent, "And we'll deal with him when it becomes necessary, okay?"

"Okay, KP, you're the boss on this one!"

Kim smiled happily, then glanced at the clock, and her smile faded. "Oh boy, we need to get going!" She looked at her uneaten breakfast regretfully. "No time for breakfast!"

Her father shook his head, "Eat up, young lady, I'll drive you to school this morning, I have business to take care of at the Sheriff's Office, anyway!"

Kim responded with a puzzled frown. "Really?" As James explained, Ron's thoughts drifted away. _"Kim's getting a car! Hmmm, rocket engines, that would be soooo cool! Ejector seat? Nah, too cliche! Rocket powered drag racer? Well, not on the track, too tame! On the streets, though..."_

00000000000

Wade, meanwhile, was indulging in another daily routine, one that was sometimes amusing, and sometimes infuriating. Checking various websites for stories about Kim.

"Let's see, _'Kim Possible's Reality'. __**'Truth about the Monkey King's Amulet! Kim was devolved! Saved by team of geneticists!'**_ Man, that picture's a worse fake then the elopement one, where do these guys learn their computer skills? _**'Sightings of Velociraptors in Colorado forests linked to Possible/Flanner Experiment!'**_ Riiight! _**'Camille Leon impersonates Kim at wild party-turned-orgy! Click link below for pics!'**_ Ewww! How many guys fall for that one, I wonder?"

Wade smirked, then switched websites. "Hmmm, _'The True Kim Possible!'_. _**'Did Kim need a Bionic babysitter to keep up with her?'**_" Wade frowned at that, and the frown then turned to shock at the next story.

00000000000

The Kimmunicator went off just after Kim and Ron were dropped off on front of the school by her father. Ron was grinning widely at Jim and Tim, who had left early enough to walk, and were just arriving. "Ron, hold my bag, please!" Kim asked, "Or answer the call yourself, Please and Thank You!"

"Got you covered, KP!" Ron chose to switch on his Ronnunicator, to reveal Wade's disturbed visage. "Hey Wadester! What up?"

"Kim, Ron! I think we have a security problem!"

That brought scowls to both teens' faces. "What kind of problem, Wade?" Kim asked.

"There's a story on TTKP this morning about the lockpicking nanobots! Where you hide them, and what they can do! It's sketchy, but accurate!"

"Lockpicking Nanobots? How long have you had those, KP?" Ron asked before Kim could respond.

"We were still testing them, Ron, still some problems...Wade, only you, me, Officer Hobble, and Bernie should know about those, and no one on that list would be blabbing about them!"

Wade frowned, "Bernie? When did Miss Barr find out about them?" Kim explained, and as she did, a possibility occurred to her. _"It's going a bit too far, but it's the only explanation I can come up with!" _"Wade, there's a possible explanation, but I'll need your help to check it out, later!"

"Anytime, Kim! But are you going to tell me what that explanation is?"

Ron was also staring curiously at her, and Kim blushed slightly. "Not until I know more, I'm sorry to be so evasive, but I want proof before I say anything! I'll contact you later, Wade!"

As Ron broke the connection, the door to the school opened, and Detective Loomis emerged. She gave the pair a friendly smile when she saw them. "Kim, Ronald, I guess you'll be glad to hear what I've just shared with your Principal, which should be common knowledge in an hour or so! Apparently, Mrs Graham, or Pawluck by now, and her partner weren't distributing or selling their little concoction to your fellow students. They were selling to the college crowd, instead. Specifically, MIST, and Upperton University! So, though the tests will still be carried out, we don't expect to find any reason for disciplinary action against Middleton High students."

Kim smiled and nodded, "That is good news! For us, anyway! Wonder how Dad's going to feel, though! MIST is having it's best season ever, according to him, they've never gone five and oh before!"

Loomis shook her head, a sad smile on her face, "Well, it's not because of the effects of those drugs! They aren't strong enough to enhance performance worth a damn! Those boys have been conned out of their money, big time!"

Ron nodded sagely. "So, it's all been psycho...whatever?"

"Psychosomatic?" Loomis's face twisted into a puzzled frown, "I don't think that's the word, Ron, but that's close enough! Listen, we haven't formed any conclusions regarding the gambling materials, so I can't talk about those. For the moment, that investigation is still open. But, since it's Vice related, I'm not involved there. Gabe Caruso would handle it for Middleton, but he's out sick! I'm not even sure I'm on the fake steroid case anymore! Since it wasn't technically a dangerous drug, it's going to be a fraud case. I might still be assigned to stay with it, though. Anyway, I have to run, you two take care of yourselves, and beat Lowerton!" She clapped Ron on the shoulder, and headed for her car, leaving the pair alone on the sidewalk, all the other students having gone inside already.

Ron let out an exaggerated sigh or relief. "Whew! Well, that's one problem I don't have to worry about anymore! Not that I was all that worried, in the first place!"

Kim just smiled knowingly. "Of course not, Ron!" She stood there a moment, staring at him, then cleared her throat, and indicated the door with her eyes. When he still stared blankly at her a moment, she sighed in exasperation. "Hello? No hands free here?"

"Oh! Sorry KP, wasn't thinking!" He swung the door opened and bowed, "After you, my Most Bondiggity Girlfriend!"

Kim smiled, bowing slightly in return, before stepping inside. "MBG, huh? Might have to remember that one, and use it as a code sometime!"

00000000000

"...Earth to Kim, Earth to Kim! Hey, why am I using such an old cliché, I'm so much cooler then that!" Monique waved her hand in front of Kim's face, and finally got her friend's attention. They were sitting in the cafeteria, in fact they had just arrived, and Kim seemed to be running on auto-pilot, distracted by something on her mind. Ron was absent, delayed by having to clean up an as yet unexplained 'mess' in science class.

Now she focused on Monique, and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Mon, I've been doing a little detective work, with Wade's help, and I'm not happy at what I'm finding! But that has to wait, what did you say?"

Monique was a bit bemused for a moment, then she frowned. "Girlfriend, you don't drop something like that, and then expect me to backtrack, do you? What kind of detective work are you doing at school?"

"Something I can't talk about until I'm sure I know the score, honest! So please, go back to whatever you were talking about before!" Kim looked down at her tray and realized what she'd taken for the first time, and her brow furrowed, but then she shook her head, and began to eat resignedly.

With equal resignation, Monique reigned in her curiosity, and repeated her earlier question. "I was asking if any of those shared dreams you and Ron had involved the _Wizard of Oz_, among other movies."

Kim grinned. "Oh, we're back to those again? Actually, yes, twice, two different versions, I think one was Ron's, and the other mine." Her grin slipped slipped a bit, but then she turned it back up, and continued, "His had the three of us, including Rufus, dropping into Oz, in our old treehouse, of all things! Squashed the Wicked Witch of the East, and met the WW of the West, and the Good Witch, etcetera!"

Monique nodded knowingly, "And I Bet I know who played the Wicked one!"

Kim's grin gained a sly edge to it. "Betcha don't!" When Monique's expression shifted to surprise, Kim smirked. "Think about it! Winged Monkeys?"

Monique's eyes widened. "Don't tell me! Monkeyfist in drag? Or...DNAmy!"

Kim grimaced. "Ewww! The first didn't even occur to me! Thanks for _that _image, Mon!" She shook her head, grinning again, "No, it was Amy. Shego was the good witch, but she said she was just doing it until she was offered some serious roles!"

Monique snorted. "That's supposed to be the line they use when they're showing off their assets..." She trailed off as Kim's grin widened. "What?"

"Well, she _was_ wearing a few seashells, I think Ron got his movies mixed up! But one thing I should tell you, I wasn't 'in' myself in this dream, or I would have missed most of it!" When Monique's face registered total confusion, she explained, "See, I found myself wearing the 'Ruby Rocket Skates' when I arrived, and Ron accidentally set them off, and off I went down the Yellow Brick Road! Then all he had to do was follow the scorch marks to find me!"

Monique cracked a wide grin, "Oh, that sounds like Ron! But, your point of view stayed with him?" Kim nodded, while trying to chew through something in her latest mouthful. Monique began to speculate, "Well, let me see...Barkin as the Lion?" Kim nodded enthusiastically, "Tin Woodsman..." Kim waved her hand frantically, "Someone I don't know?"

Kim swallowed her food, and took a long swallow from her drink before replying, "Yeah, it was a minor Team Go enemy called the 'Tin-Plate Tyrant', Who you've probably never heard of, few people outside Go ever have. Professor Bartel was the wizard, oddly enough." She resumed eating again, and Monique frowned.

"Aren't we forgetting someone? The Scarecrow?" She asked. Kim's cheeks reddened, and Monique had to wait for her to manage to chew and swallow another bite before she leaned forward to whisper, "My Dad!"

Monique's eyes widened as she covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "Oh, that boy has some imagination! Besides Seago in sheshells...I mean, Shego in sheshells...stop laughing, or say it three times fast, Miss 'I can do Anything'!" Kim considered it, then shook her head. "Okay, moving on...does Ron always recast the whole movie for his dreams?"

Kim shook her head. "Not at all. In fact, some roles are played by the actors who were really in the movies. In _The Maltese Falcon_, for instance, Sydney Greenstreet was Casper Gutman, and Peter Lorre, Joel Cairo. Josh Mankey played Wilmer, and Tara was Effie, though. Brick Flagg was Miles Archer, and Mister Barkin one of the cops. In _Casablanca_, though, he did substitute Big Daddy Brotherson for Mister Greenstreet. Which is hardly surprising, all things considered!"

"Who you met in the Casbah?" Monique asked, with a good French accent to 'Casbah'.

Kim smiled wryly. "Who we met in a very luxurious Villa outside the city, Actually!" Then she winced a little. "Where I made a bit of a fool out of Will Du, for no good reason! I mean, I was annoyed at his attitude, but I still acted childishly. You see, we got there in the early morning, Ron, me, and him. We were on a hillside overlooking the villa. Big Daddy was sitting down to breakfast on the back terrace. And Will began scanning for defenses and sensors, plotting how to sneak in and confront Big Daddy. According to Ron, right up until a manservant walked up to their hiding place, and asked if the two of them were going to join me and Big Daddy for breakfast or not, Will didn't even notice I had left them! And he looked up, and there I was, sitting at the table, chatting away with Big Daddy!"

"You went in the front door?" Monique asked, rhetorically.

"Well, Gate, actually, but yes, since we were there to negotiate with him, I didn't see the point of the subterfuge. He knew we there, anyway! Ron stayed behind only to see Will's reaction. I really shouldn't have done it though, it didn't exactly help the sitch with Will."

"Sounds to me like the boy had a James Bond complex going that he needed to be shaken out of!" Monique responded, "You did the right thing, you had far more real-world experience then, Kim!"

Kim nodded reluctantly, "Maybe, but he's a full time agent, he's probably passed me by now."

"Who passed you?" Ron had come up on them, unnoticed, a full tray in hand. Kim eyed it dubiously, and then the clock. "You've only got ten minutes to eat all that, Ron, are you sure...what am I saying?"

"Never mind that! First we lose a villain, and now someone passes you? What's going on?" Ron dropped into his seat and began eating like a starving school of piranha.

"Lose a villain?" Monique asked, "Which villain, and how did you lose him?" Ron mumbled something with his mouth full, from which the word 'poached' could be discerned.

Kim rolled her eyes. "He wasn't poached from us, Ron, he just found a more suitable nemesis, that's all!" She turned to Monique, "One of the 'new' villains who never got in Ron's stories. He called himself 'Z. Rovair' and is based on a submarine. Which makes it difficult for us to deal with him, he doesn't hang around one place long, and I only have a few rides saved up that are really fast enough for us to catch him in the act. I mean, it's Wade's ability to track and predict our villains' moves that lets us intervene in their crimes most of the time, anyway!"

Monique nodded. "I can see that. But, besides being a cut-rate Captain Nemo, what was this guy's game?"

"He's a pirate!" Ron blurted out, "Our only pirate! I mean, Kim, how can you not care that we're losing him, we need a pirate!"

Kim rolled her eyes and sighed. "Ron, we _so_ do not need a pirate!" She ignored further mumblings from her boyfriend, "Anyway, this guy had a naming fixation, for reasons we don't have time to get into! For instance, his first sub was called the _Nomenclature_!"

"Yeah!" Ron added between mouthfuls, "He was always coming up behind his crew and pointing at things, and shouting 'Name that Instrument!', or whatever, and if they couldn't, he punished them!"

Monique's eyebrows rose. "Like Gemini?"

Both shook their heads. "No," Kim replied, "Rovair's henchpeople have Henchco's 'Standard Henchman Contract Number 5', which has death benefits. If Rovair kills them, his rates go up!"

Monique closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ooookay! You said...his 'first' submarine?"

Kim nodded. "Right, we captured that one, and the Navy has it now." Ron mumbled something about 'prize money', but Kim ignored it. "We didn't do so well with the second one, which he named the _Appellation_, though we got off to a good start! Ron had him climbing the bulkheads pretending that he thought it was named for the _Appalachian_ Mountains! Rovair even sent a crewman to get a dictionary, and read the whole definition of 'appellation' aloud! Meanwhile, I was supposed to be using the diversion to come up with some way to force them to surface. Tried triggering a fire alarm at the damage control panel, but...well, the response was _very_ localized..." She trailed off.

Before Monique could prod her, Ron supplied the answer. "Yep, Kim got foamed, big time! All you could see were two green eyes in this pile of white! Then, he flushed us out of an airlock, but luckily we weren't running deep!" Monique's jaw dropped, but any further discussion was interrupted by the bell.

Ron jumped up with his now-empty tray in hand, then took Kim's half-full one from her with a frown. "Kim, you have to learn not to waste so much food! Only take as much as you can eat in the time you have!" He lectured her sternly, then spun around and went to drop them off.

Kim exchanged a wry look with Monique. "_Right_, I'll have to remember that! Well, catch you later, if you're not busy!"

Monique shook her head, "Girlfriend, there is no way you're leaving me with that many loose ends! We _will_ finish this conversation, trust me!"

00000000000

Bernadette Barr was very surprised when the door to her office opened midway through lunch period, or at least surprised by who opened it. "Doctor Possible?"

"Anne, please, Bernadette! I'm sorry to surprise you, but I was hoping to talk to you without Kim knowing." Anne Possible seemed extremely uncomfortable for some reason, so Bernie responded with a reassuring smile. "Of course! Please, have a seat!" Bernie gestured to a brand new swivel chair she'd bought herself, to replace the old straight-backed chair . She sat down on the bed, and waited for Anne to open the conversation.

"I'm not sure how to begin, to be honest!" Anne finally admitted. Her gaze drifted to the desk top, and focused on a sheet of paper laying there. "What's this?" she asked, picking it up.

"Oh, I have an old boyfriend working at the local TV station, that's a copy of the official press release that was sent to the media this morning. 9:45 locally, 11:45 on the East Coast, gave the networks fifteen minutes to get something together for the Noon news there. Local stations also waited until noon, trying to get more details. Doctor Director was straight with us, it's pretty close to the truth, as far as I can tell."

"I haven't listened to the news since this morning." Anne muttered absently as she read the release, frown deepening as she did. "Sixteen of the eighteen kidnappers were killed by local security forces during the rescue..." She looked up at Bernie, "It wasn't Global Justice doing the rescue? Oh, never mind, Betty Director mentioned that! Was the killing necessary?"

Bernie hesitated before replying. "Well, my viewpoint might be biased, to be honest. But, no attempt to demand their surrender occurred, and some of them, who were chasing Kim, were unarmed. We were inside this large warehouse, which had a machine shop in it." She shuddered slightly, "Once the rescue team knew where we were located inside the building, they came in shooting. Some Counter terrorist units do operate that way."

"But these weren't terror...oh, but they used the counter terrorist unit, and they used their SOP? But, 'chasing Kim'? Unarmed?"

"Well, they didn't know it _was_ Kim. She disguised herself as a street urchin, acting like she'd just snuck in. She showed herself when the leader decided to shoot one of my shipmates to prove to Will Du how serious they were, before they started torturing him. Of those chasing Kim, some seemed to be enjoying the hide-and-seek chase, others were annoyed. The leader was livid, but kept telling them not to start shooting, just to catch the 'urchin' before he or she could get out. Then the rescue team hit."

Anne nodded thoughtfully. "So one moment, it's a Kim-style caper, albeit probably more intense then usual, and the next, it turns into something entirely different?" Bernie nodded in agreement. Anne sighed, "You know, Jim has been worried for a while about Kim losing her innocence. Hardly unusual for a father, right? Discovering boys, how she chose to explore the new discovery, etcetera? I don't worry about that, I prepared my daughter for that the best way I could, and I have confidence in her decision making on that score. So, I began to worry about of ways to lose one's 'innocence', things more likely to happen to Kim. And this..." She held up the paper, "Was one I actually feared would happen! This sort of thing, I mean. But she hasn't said a word about it to me, and it's been nearly a year?"

Bernie nodded. "November 5th was the rescue, last year. So she hasn't talked to anyone about it, that you know of?"

Anne shook her head slowly. "Unless someone at Global Justice counseled her, nobody that I know of. How did she seem, right afterwards?"

Bernie grimaced. "She didn't know _I_ was there, until after the rescue. I was being carried out on a stretcher, when I passed her, and one of the American 'advisors', who don't get a mention in that press release. She was definitely in a daze, until she spotted my face. Then I guess shock snapped her out of it, and she rushed over to talk with me. Bad timing, though!"

"Why?"

"I'm not sure about all of this, Anne, remember that, please! I'd just been given a shot to knock me out, and kill the pain. Kim came up, and asked me what I was doing there. And I think I managed to answer that I was about to ask her the same thing. Then I faded out. I'm not sure, but I think I heard Kim scream as I did, she may have thought I'd died, not sure. She hasn't talked to me about it either, and I'm reluctant to bring it up myself, sorry."

When Anne didn't speak, but sat gazing into space, Bernie hazarded a guess regarding her concerns. "You're worried about some kind of delayed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, aren't you?"

"Maybe, I'm not sure." Anne replied quietly, "Will Du came to see her, the first week in December. I didn't hear what they talked about, but they just sat on opposite ends of the couch, talking, both as stiff as if they were sitting at attention. Then he left, just like that! I don't know why I didn't ask any questions, then or later. I mean, she had only seemed a little subdued after that mission, nothing serious. And she seemed to be back to normal in a week or so. Will's visit seemed to regress her, but only for a day or two. Then, there didn't seem to be any problem at all! And I'm a fool, I think, for believing that!"

Bernie shook her head. "Not a fool, just a mother hoping...wanting to believe, that nothing was wrong. You're a member of a very non-exclusive club in that respect! And don't tell me how much smarter then the average Mom you are, true or not! You have the same hopes most of them have, and the same inclination to indulge in them!" She leaned back on her hands, and gazed up at the ceiling, "You know, I've been waiting for PTSD to hit me, ever since I came home from the hospital for Thanksgiving, last year. Told the Navy psychiatrists I knew the symptoms, and I'd holler for help the second any appeared! But none have! Maybe if it can't sneak up on you, it can't be bothered? Don't reply to that, I know it facetious!"

Anne nodded absently, as she began talking quietly. "I think Kim has been running from it, all this last year. Literally running, that is! I mean, she was always willing to help with things, to help others. She got carried away once, and I think Ron brought her down to Earth with that story with the super-speed shoes, and the BeBe robots? She cut back, until last year, then started doing it again! But, as I see it now, she almost seemed desperate to remain in motion. As if she could literally outrun something like that!"

She broke off and looked up as she heard the muffled sound of the school bell ringing in the halls. Bernie stood up and began to speak, but Anne spoke first, continuing her train of thought. "And now, with her injury, she may think she can't run anymore, and whatever is chasing her in her own mind is going to catch up with her! And I have to take part of the blame for not getting her to face it before, in safer circumstances!"

Bernie glanced at the door, while stepping forward. "Anne, I think...we may be out of time." There came a knock on the door, and it swung open to reveal Kim, who stepped quickly in and then stopped short. "Mom? What are you doing here?" Before she could receive an answer, a muffled voice emanated from inside her sling. She reached into it and pulled out her Kimmunicator, already activated, with Wade's face on it's screen. "Your Mom? What's she doing there?" the boy genius was asking.

Looking back and forth between her mother's somewhat guilty look, and Bernie's resigned one, Kim made a face. "Talking about me, I guess! But, that's not important, let's get on with your scan, Wade!" Bernie's look changed to one of wary interest, as Kim began to turn slowly in place, while watching readouts on the Kimmunicator's screen. She stopped turning suddenly, and walked towards an old table beneath the room's only window. She knelt down carefully in front of it, and looked up underneath it. "Found it!" She announced, as Bernie knelt beside her and peered at the table's underside herself. And scowled at what she saw.

Bernie turned to Anne, "Hand me a pair of disposable gloves, will you, Anne?" she asked, pointing at a one cabinet. As Bernie put them on, Anne steadied Kim as she stood up again. Bernie reached under the table and pulled something loose from the underside, then stood up herself. It didn't take an expert to recognize the object as a transmitter. "It came off very easily, and this adhesive looks very ragged." She observed.

"It is!" Wade responded. "It would probably have fallen off in a day or two, whoever planted it made a mistake there!"

"Unless it was supposed to fall off and be found." Kim replied. Ignoring the puzzled looks from all three of her audience, she pointed the scanner eye of the Kimmunicator at the object. "Okay, Wade, check it out!"

"Okay, but I'm not sure why, I don't have a copy of Ricky Carroll's DNA to match what I find to...oh." Wade looked vaguely ill. "Um, Kim, I found some DNA that matches..." He trailed off.

Kim sighed regretfully. "My brothers?" As her mother glanced sharply at her, Wade slowly nodded his head. "I was afraid of that." Kim muttered, then met her mother's gaze. "Mom, I think it went like this..."

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I think I'll break off here. Don't want a huge chapter. Thanks to all those who have reviewed me, please keep it up! I need the love, or whatever, heh!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

I have a bad habit. I get too many story ideas that I don't think I can make work on their own, and then tend to add them to other unrelated stories I do start. This story is no exception. Shego's Halloween activities, for instance. So, I'm going to try and wrap up some of the extraneous plot lines in this, and maybe the next chapter. If some of you think I should make an effort to do them more justice as separate tales, let me know, and I'll try.

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During the afternoon, quite a number of people took note of an object hovering in the sky over northern Middleton. It was one of Drakken's hovercraft, this one a two-seat model with an enclosed cockpit. It was directly above the tract of land for the proposed resort hotel.

Inside it, Drakken sorted through all the documents he'd collected from City Hall on the proposed development. He'd consult them, then study the land below.

He also had maps of the utilities for both Upperton and Middleton. The two cities' goveenments had disputed development rights for the land below since they'd both expanded close enough to each other to care, sometime in the mid '80s. It was still an absurdly sensitive sore spot for some on both sides ever since a decision had been made in Middleton's favor, since theoretically Upperton had plenty of room to expand northwards.

One point of contention was routing utilities to the site, the current proposal being certain to be a great inconvenience to some home-owners. The second problem concerned access to the Interstate. Approaching from the East, it passed between Middleton and Lowerton, curved slightly northwards, then continued due West. Two 'Business' branches split off from it East of the cities, and then rejoined it on the west side. One of those passed through Middleton just south of it's mall, the other went into Lowerton. A separate four-lane state highway connected Upperton to the Interstate, running on further northwards to the state line.

The current proposal intended to run a new road from the 'Business' route to the hotel site, cutting through Pine Hill Estates, a '70s era housing development with fifty homes and a small school, which currently constituted the cheapest housing in the city. All the homes were occupied, and it would be necessary to relocate many of those living there if the proposal went through. Since few of those people currently owned their homes outright, few of them would profit in any way by being moved.

Drakken studied the proposed route with a frown, then shifted his gaze to a narrow road running from the state highway to a point north of Pine Hill, before meandering north into Upperton. The only building along the route was the National Guard Armory, built in the fifties. He then shifted his attention to another large building just at the city limits well to the south. It was incomplete, work having stopped on it the winter before, as the company planning to expand into Middleton had had to file for bankruptcy. It was also convenient to the Interstate, and the main East-West streets of Middleton.

Nodding thoughtfully to himself, Drakken leaned back in his seat and began to think....

00000000000

Kim didn't know exactly why she felt like it was her that was in trouble. She sat quietly in a chair in the Principal's office, flanked by her parents. Across the room, Ricky Carroll was seated between his own parents. The adults were all standing. Ricky was fidgeting, his father looked puzzled, and his mother had a sour look on her face.

Principal Cooley sat behind his desk, studying what appeared to be an MP3 player sitting in front of him. It looked very similar to the device containing the medical scanners Kim used in conjunction with her Kimmunicator. Cooley pressed a switch on the device, and Bernadette Barr's voice, and that of a student who'd visited her earlier complaining of nausea, came from the device's speakers. After a few moments listening, Cooley switched the it off.

He then looked at the Carrolls. "This device was in Ricky's locker, receiving a signal from a 'bug' planted in the nurse's office. It's voice-activated, I'm told." He looked at Ricky. "Son, where did you get this device? And don't tell me someone else put it in your locker, I know better!"

Ricky squirmed in his seat, until his mother firmly prodded him with a finger. Then he reluctantly replied. "I got it in the mail, anonymously. There was just a note, saying I could really impress the other guys on the...on the site, with what I could learn with it!"

Cooley nodded. "Information about Miss Possible's exploits, you mean? But why put it in the nurse's office?"

"Because Kim hangs out there when she's excused from gym class, so I thought I'd hear some good stuff, without any background noise to foul it up." Ricky replied, head down.

"And did you hear any 'good stuff', young man?"

Ricky shook his head. "Not really, it was all girl stuff, until yesterday, then there was something good!" He looked up, and added defensively, "But, I'm not responsible for that lame 'Bionic Babysitter' stuff!"

"No, but you chose to expose a device that Miss Possible might have used to save her life at some future point, if her enemies were unaware of it." Cooley pointed out, sternly.

Ricky's head drooped again. "Yes Sir. It was all I had...." At this point, the office door swung open, and Steve Barkin entered, with Tim and Jim Possible. "Here's the last of our interested parties, Sir!" Barkin snapped, as if to a superior officer.

Cooley nodded. "Thank You, Steven!" Then he fixed the Possible twins with a cool gaze. "As for you two, do you have any idea why you're here?"

Looking around at the other occupants of the room, the twins noticed that the Carrolls all appeared puzzled, while their own parents looked _real_ unhappy, Kim looked morose, and Mister Barkin....well, looked like he usually did. "I Think.." Tim began, "We're busted!" Jim finished.

James Possible slowly released the breath he'd been holding. "Well, at least you're not going to make this difficult, boys!"

"What's going on here, what do they have to do with this?" A bewildered Mrs Carroll asked.

Cooley drew in a deep breath before speaking, "Well, it seems the Possible boys are the ones who sent that eavesdropping equipment to your son!"

That only made the woman more confused. "What! But why, if he used it to spy on their own sister?"

Cooley shifted his gaze to the Tweebs. "Boys, would you care to answer that?"

"He's always spying on her!"

"Always trying to listen in on her conversations!"

"Asking everyone questions about what she does..."

".....trying to get the other girls in her gym class to tell him if she's got scars, and where they are!" That caused Ricky to practically melt under his mother's glare.

"And then he goes and writes those stories about her on the Internet..."

"...and he makes all the stuff up!"

"I don't make it all up!" Ricky blurted out, "I just try and interpret some of the facts!"

"That's still considered 'making it up', young man!" Barkin admonished him.

Cooley addressed the Tweebs again. "And what did you hope to accomplish? Did you want Ricky expelled for what he did?"

They both studied the floor, shuffling their feet nervously, until Jim answered, "We just wanted to stop him, and Kim wouldn't let anyone mess with the websites, or that kind of stuff! We just wanted someone to catch him, and make him stop! She's our sister, and we've got her back!"

Something like a strangled sob came from Kim. Everyone's attention shifted to her. "Miss Possible, are you all right?" Cooley asked, concerned.

Kim, looking a bit pale, nodded, "I'm all right, can I step outside, though? I need a drink of water, or something!" she stammered out, anxiously.

Face full of concern, Cooley nodded. "Of course, we don't really need you here at this point, anyway. Why don't you go back to the nurse's office, and let Miss Barr look after you? Final bell is in fifteen minutes, there's no point to going to class. This should only take a few more minutes, then you can go home with your parents. But first, I understand why you scanned Ricky's locker, to locate the recording device, but I wouldn't want to encourage you to violate your fellow students privacy in the future, you understand?""

"Yes Sir, I wouldn't have done it this time, but....I won't do it again, I promise!" Kim stammered as she stood up. Her mother put her hand on the girl's shoulder, whispering "Kimmie?" Kim gave her a wan smile in return. "I'm fine, Mom." She murmured, then nodded politely to Mister Barkin when he opened the door for her, and slipped out.

"Well..." Cooley began, before Ricky Carroll interrupted, "Hey! Since they gave me that stuff, am I off the hook?" The withering looks the adults present sent at him answered that question clearly. He huddled in his seat, muttering, "Guess not."

"As I was saying, this whole matter deserves punishment, obviously!" Cooley stated, "However, I'm not sure what good making this whole mess public would serve. Therefore, we will decide on two levels of punishment for all three of these young men. The first level will be carried out discretely, as long as the details of the matter do not become public knowledge. Not even as a rumor, boys! However, if the matter does become public, then we'll have to make an example of _all_ three of you, is that understood?" First the Tweebs in unison, then Ricky nodded acknowledgement. "Good! Now, your parents may see fit to act as they choose, of course! Steven and I will discuss this matter, and inform you tomorrow as to what measures the school will take in this matter. Now, if you three will step outside, we'll discuss this matter with your parents."

"One thing first, if I may?" Anne Possible asked. She looked at Ricky. "Did you listen to any of the conversation I had with Miss Barr, a little while ago?"

He shook his head. "No, Ma'am, I don't listen to the recordings until I get home! Ma'am, I'm sorry, I wouldn't want to hurt Kim, honest! But...the website is the only place.....I don't know what to say!"

"That's all right, Ricky, I actually do understand." Anne replied. "But you need to think of the consequences to others of your actions, not just the benefits to yourself! Gaining acceptance is all well and good, provided no one else gets hurt in the process!"

The grown-ups' discussion went well past the final bell, and all three boys ended up huddled together on the one couch not visible through the window in the hallway door as their fellow students evacuated the building with their usual haste. And they couldn't remain silent for long, either.

"I'm not sorry we did it!" Jim declared hotly, "You guys are always writing those lies about our sister!" Tim showed his support with a an affirmative nod.

"_I _don't write lies! I only write stories about her missions, the _true_ stories!" Ricky snapped back, then suddenly looked uneasy. "Well, except for the one about the nanobots, which is actually the only one of mine they've published so far. They take some of the stuff I give them, though, and make up stories from it, which makes me mad! I shouldn't have told them Miss Barr has a prosthesis instead of a foot, they really made a stupid story out of that!"

"That's not even a secret!" Jim answered derisively, "Everyone in town saw the picture of her with her family last year, when they let her out of the hospital to come home for Thanksgiving! Well, she didn't get national coverage, I suppose, but it isn't a secret!"

"But we didn't know then that Kim was involved when she lost her foot." Tim added, and Ricky's interest was piqued. Jim noticed and scowled, "It's not a secret anymore, Ricky! It's all over the news today, some spy mission went wrong, and the wrong people got hurt, and Kim helped save them!" Then he calmed slightly, "And a bunch of the bad guys were killed."

"Kim didn't kill any of them, did she?"

"NO!" both Tweebs shouted. The door to the Principal's office swung open, and Barkin scowled out at them. All three red-faced boys assumed the usual position, hands in laps, heads down, until the door closed again. "Kim would never kill!" Jim hissed. "But she was probably right in the middle of it when they were killed." Tim added quietly. The Tweebs exchanged suddenly concerned glances.

"She hides too many things!" Jim exclaimed quietly.

"Never hides when she's mad at us!" Tim responded.

"But this isn't like that, this is major! And she doesn't like to worry Mom and Dad!"

"She got upset when we said we had her back! But why?"

"Because she didn't have ours? Oh, Man, she must have been the one to figure out what we did!"

"And she told on us?!"

"Well, Duh! She's Kim, she wouldn't let Ricky get punished for something he didn't do! Aw, Man, we blew it, _big_ time, didn't we?"

The office door opened again, and their parents emerged, exchanging parting words with Cooley and Barkin. Then Anne's eyes locked onto the immediately apprehensive Tweebs. "Okay, boys, let's collect your sister, and head home! And don't ask what's coming, you'll be told when we get there, trust me!"

Soon the four Possibles were headed for the Nurse's office. Anne looked back and saw the Carrolls behind them. "Ricky is going to apologize to Miss Barr, before we take him home." His mother explained.

"Hey! Possible party!" Everyone turned to see Ron coming up behind them. "I was waiting for KP, she hasn't come out! And her jacket is still in her locker!"

" She's waiting in the nurse's office, Ronald, and does Kim know you know her locker combination?" James asked with hint of suspicion.

"Oh, sure! I mean, she didn't exactly give it to me, but she knows I know it, so to speak!" Ron stammered out nervously. "And why is she in the nurse's office? Is she feeling sick again?"

Anne smiled reassuringly, "No, Ron, she's...fine, it's a long story, we'll give you a ride home, and tell you about it!" Ron caught the grimaces on the Tweebs' faces, and correctly interpreted possible significance of Ricky Carroll's presence suddenly registered as well. _"Aw, please tell me this didn't come from me and my big mouth, that day!"_

As they approached the Nurse's office, they saw Bernie, apparently locking up.

She in turn was curious to see them. "Hey, everyone, how did things go at the Principal's office? Sorry I couldn't be there, had a minor medical emergency with the girls' field hockey practice!" Then she saw the worried look growing on Anne's face, and possibly the others. "What's wrong?"

"Isn't Kim with you?" Anne asked. "She left us earlier, saying she needed a drink of water, maybe some fresh air? Mister Cooley told her she should come here, didn't she?"

Bernie unlocked her office again and stepped quickly inside without replying. There was a walkie-talkie in a battery recharger on her desk. She took it out and switched it on, then pushed the transmit button. "Guys, Mel, have any of you seen Kim Possible in the last half hour, it' Bernie here, come back?"

There was a pause, then came a reply. "Hey, Bernie, it's Ezra. I saw her going out Exit 3 a while back, but she was probably not out long, she didn't have a coat or jacket, and it's getting pretty nippy outside. Didn't see her come back in, though. Normally would have said something to her, being outside during class, but since it was Kim....well, you know?"

"Yeah, I know Ezra, Thanks!" Scowling, Bernie returned the radio to it's holder, and turned to Anne. "Consider me officially worried!"

Anne nodded in grim agreement.

00000000000

"Sorry, Ron! Her Kimmunicator's still in the nurse's office, she must have forgotten it!" Wade's worried face on the viewscreen of the Ronnunicator twisted in concentration as he typed rapidly, "I'm accessing the video surveillance cameras around the exterior of the school now, and the traffic cameras nearby, to try and see which way she went when she left! I'll get back to you, as soon as I have something!"

"Okay Wade, but _please_ find something, _anything_!" Ron was seated in the front passenger seat of Bernie's car as the pair skirted the outskirts of Middleton Park.

Only authorized vehicles were allowed inside the park itself, and Ron intended to go in on foot if they didn't spot anything in the next few minutes. Anne and Jim, and James and Tim were also out searching in the Possibles' two cars.

It had been an hour since school let out, and the sun was disappearing behind the Rockies to the west, the temperature in the low forties and dropping.

Peering out his window, Ron angrily shook his head. "I can't believe she's been in pain, or something, and I didn't know? Or, maybe I did, maybe I just didn't read things right!"

"Like what things, Ron?" Bernie's eyes tracked a Middleton PD cruiser crossing their path ahead. She had been of the opinion that the police be involved immediately, but had acceded to Kim's parents' wishes that they wait for a hour or two, before making things official.

"Well, like, a few weeks ago I walked in on her studying recordings of her cheerleading practices on her computer. I mean, she sometimes studies them to see if the team has the routines down, but this was different! She was looking at pictures of herself, only. Ones from early last year, and from earlier this year. And she asked if I saw any difference between 'the girl', her words, in last year's pictures and the recent ones. And I was confused as to what she wanted. I usually know, you know?" He looked pleadingly at Bernie, who nodded encouragingly.

He drew a deep breath before continuing. "It was just that, when I came in, the expression on her face seemed sad, for some reason. Not attentive, taking notes, the usual when she's studying that kind of thing. So I finally said I thought her moves were smoother in the newer pics, and she went 'oh!', as if that hadn't been what she'd been thinking about. Then she saw the look on my face, and snapped out of it, became all smiles, and I let it drop. I do that a lot with her, sometimes I wonder if it's the right things to do, but I do it anyway." Ron turned an expectant look towards Bernie.

"I don't think you're at fault at all, Ron. You used to be her confidant in everything when you were kids, but even with the bond you share, that had to change when you grew up. And what's bothering her now has been growing inside her slowly for a year, I think. So, she might not have realized anything was wrong herself, not really. And when she did, she didn't understand what it could be, or where it started, because she 'recovered' in her own mind, from what happened last year and put it in her past. She was reluctant to dredge it up again, so she's subconsciously disassociating her current problems from that event, leaving her confused. Studying those pictures was probably an attempt to spot some visible change in herself, maybe to see if someone else should have realized she had a problem. Tell me, has she done any more missions for GJ since then, with or without Will Du?"

Ron thought for a moment. "Just one, without Will, and it was a milk run, in July. She took the place of a senior GJ Exec's own daughter during a week-long trip to the Mediterranean, because there was a possibility of a kidnapping attempt. And there was, but it was headed off before Kim became involved. So she got some sun, saw some sights, and came home pretty cheerful, to tell the truth. Made me a little jealous." They were pulling up to one of the main entrances to the park. "Let me out here, I want to search the park on foot!"

"Okay, but let me get a spare coat from the trunk for you to give her, if you find her." Bernie pulled into the entry and parked, but before they could get out, Wade called back.

"Ron! I definitely have Kim on camera crossing Bridger Avenue, two blocks West of Main Street, headed North, twenty minutes after she left the school!" The boy genius reported.

"Aw, Man! She didn't come anywhere near the Park, then! She isn't heading for Old Hillary's Farm, either. I wouldn't have minded finding her there, singing to the cow again, as long as we found her!" He re-fastened his seatbelt as Bernie pulled back out into traffic again. "I don't know where she could be going, that far North! Wade, pass the word to her Mom and Dad, Okay?"

"You got it, Ron!" Wade replied, and signed off.

Bernie sighed in frustration. "I don't think she's _going_ to a particular place, Ron, I just think she's trying to get away from something, even if she knows she can't!"

00000000000

"_Okay, this is stupid! Wait, how many times have I thought that since I left school? A dozen? More? Then why am I still walking away from the people who love me, who could help me? So they won't find out something's wrong? So they won't worry? Well, I'm Oh for two there, aren't I? They know something's wrong now, and they have to be worried! So, why am I still walking?"_

"_Cold, Shoulder hurts! Blood flow affected by the cold, do you think? Duh! Recent operation, still mending, of course I'm being an idiot! Painkillers back at school. Didn't want to have them at all, but Mom insisted! Only used them....four, five, maybe six times! No Kimmunicator, left that behind, along with my coat, Grrrr! Not that I need the Kimmunicator, though, I could flag down a policeman. Then everyone would find out I'm nuts! So what? Like they're not going to figure it out if I die of hypothermia? Why am I acting like this?"_

"_Why don't the good things keep me warm as long, anymore? Only Ron, but even with him....I feel it so much more when he's not there, and I don't think it's in a good way. I love him, he keeps me....me. But I used to be able to float on the rush from a successful mission for a week, or more, two weeks if we saved someone! But this past year, the buzz doesn't last as long. Is it all about what happened last year? Should I have talked to someone, like Will tried to suggest when he came to visit? 'Tried' being the operative word! So careful not to suggest that he'd needed to talk to someone, but an 'amateur' like me should seek help? That had to be the _worst_ way to talk to me!"_

"_Feet hurt. Where am I? Huh? The water park? Closed, naturally, so I'm trespassing. But I can sit on the bench, 'til my feet stop hurting. But, should I __stop? I should be looking for help, not sitting here....I did sit down, I thought I hadn't decided yet? Okay, am I thinking rationally at all?!"_

"_The _Wizard of Oz_? Why think of that? Ron's dream was so much fun, if definitely weirdsville, while mine was so....dark. Rufus instead of Toto, but they wouldn't let me take him, I needed a 'little dog'. So I had to find a little dog before I could start the adventure. In the forest, which was....on fire? Oh! Of course, the forest fire, the little girl's dog, back in May? I couldn't find it, but it turned up alive and well, three days later. But I took risks to find it, crazy risks! If Ron had told Mom and Dad the truth about the shape I was in afterwards, they'd have grounded me! But the worst part was telling the little girl I'd failed. And even after I found out the dog was alive, I was angry at myself for the risks....I couldn't rationalize them anymore, I wonder why?"_

"_So Dark, cold...I have to get up, get moving again, towards my family, not away! But I don't want to go back...back where? Whatever's bothering me is inside me, not _back_ there, I can't run away from it! This is stupid! There, I thought it again, a dozen and wha..."_

A bright light suddenly enveloped Kim, sitting on the bench beneath the trees surrounding the closed for the season water park. She shaded her eyes against the glare as the source of the light descended from above. When it reached ground level, a dark shape blocked part of the light.

"Kimberley Anne Possible, as your arch-foe, I am officially exercising my right to abduct you, in this case for your own good!"

00000000000

James Possible and Tim were in the Old Town shopping district when his cellphone buzzed. He pulled to the curb before checking it to discover a text message.

**James. Kim with me, and safe. Taking her to lair.**

**Intend her no harm. She needs to talk to someone**

**Different, and I certainly qualify. Might be best if **

**Anne comes to fetch her, she'll probably be in mood **

**to talk to her mother by then. You have my word, She**

**will come to no harm at my hands....Drew.**

James studied the message with a variety of emotions playing across his face, then sighed heavily. "What is it, Dad?" Tim asked him, "Is it about Kim? Is she all right?"

James looked at his son for a moment, then nodded. "She's...safe." He began to dial Anne's number as he spoke.

00000000000

Doctor Drakken walked across the floor of the lair, and up a short flight of steps to the glassed-in lounge that overlooked the main floor. It was the only room in the main area with full climate control, and right now it was toasty warm.

Kim was huddled on the couch against the rear wall, her feet shoved in a footwarmer of Drakken's own design, and a blanket was draped around her. A table sat in front of the couch, with a computer terminal built into it. As the door opened automatically to admit the scientist, she looked up, an expression of abject misery on her face. "I can't believe I'm sitting here!" She spoke plaintively.

"Imagine my surprise, and I invited you!" Drakken replied, setting a tray down on the table, then sitting in one of the well padded swivel chairs flanking the couch. The tray held two mugs full of hot chocolate, and two burgers with lettuce and tomato. "Those are veggie burgers, by the way." Drakken added.

Kim eyed the food dubiously, but when the smell reached her nostrils, her stomach announced it's opinion of the sitch quite loudly. A little color appeared in her cheeks, which was a good sign as far as Drakken was concerned. She'd been pale as a ghost when they'd arrived.

She continued to look dubious, but reached out to pick one of the burgers up. Even then she eyed it critically up close. "Are you going to scan it, before you eat it?" Drakken asked with mild sarcasm lacing his voice.

Kim snorted. "I'm not Ron, you know!" And she took a bite, then began to wolf the food down in a very unladylike manner.

Drakken's eyebrows rose in consternation. "What are you referring to?" Kim paused in her eating, and blushed faintly. As soon as her mouth was clear, she explained, "Ever since Ron learned you owned stock in Bueno Nacho, he's been scanning his meals there. Especially if there's someone new behind the counter!"

It was Drakken's turn to snort, but in amusement. "He scans every meal before he eats it?"

Kim grimaced. "Well, he _usually_ remembers to do it first, but not always. He chipped a tooth on his Ronnunicator trying to...never mind."

Drakken was truly amused now. "Well, please don't tell him I also own stock in Cow 'n Chow, and J. P. Berrymore's Pizzatorium, or he'll give up fast food altogether!"

Eyes wide, Kim gulped down a mouthful of burger. "Really? Both of them?"

"Oh, yes! Who do you think designed the new animatronic band at J. P.'s to replace the ones Junior wrecked?" Drakken replied with a satisfied smirk, then added, "I suppose you'll be scanning them for death rays, and the like, at the earliest opportunity?" Kim fidgeted guiltily, then took up her mug and took a swallow. It was a bit warm, but she didn't mind.

Drakken studied the girl carefully. On the flight up, he'd used a concealed medical scanner to check her out. He'd put it in for Shego, who sometimes took a beating on their capers, but she didn't like him making a fuss over her. Kim's core temperature had been down, but not dangerously so, except possibly in her surgically repaired shoulder. But even that appeared all right. Which left only the question of the explanation for her actions.

"Tell me, Kimberley, why were you behaving so foolishly? What could bother you so badly, that you would so recklessly disregard your own health? I mean, in a manner other then swinging around on a thin line, battling giant robots and mad monkeys, that is?"

Kim gazed steadily at him for a moment, then looked around. "Where's Shego?"

"She's in Go City, at the moment, Kimberley."

Kim's eyes widened, and she nodded. "Oh, the Haunted House for charity? I've considered going to see that, because I hear it's a good show, but....it's probably not a good idea, she might not be able to....do her act properly, if I'm around."

Drakken sighed in exasperation. "Well, she doesn't need to know you're there, does she? I mean, I don't want you two to get chummy, or anything, but there's no reason for you not to go, though you'd have to go tonight or tomorrow, and I don't see that happening now, I'm afraid. But now, back to my question, what's bothering you so badly, to make you act this way?"

Kim started on her second burger while she considered answering. Then a stubborn look came across her face, and Drakken thought she'd refuse to discuss the matter, but instead, "Well, I betrayed my brothers, but I did it for the right reason; and Will Du and Professor Dementor have seen me naked, while Ron hasn't, at least not under circumstance where he could appreciate..." She suddenly blushed furiously, "And....well, I think I'm nuts! How about all that?"

Drakken was momentarily taken aback. "Well, let's....take them one at a time, shall we? Um, in order? What was that about your brothers?"

Kim explained about the eavesdropping device, Ricky Carroll, and her brothers' role in what had happened. Even as she did, she seemed to withdraw slightly into herself, tugging the blanket tighter. "I told them I'd have their backs, but that didn't last long, did it?" She ended morosely.

Drakken was silent for a moment, lost in his own thoughts._"So many times I would have liked to have reduced her to this sort of state, so why do I feel motivated to help her out of it? Because it wasn't my own doing? Is this compassion, or ego? Sometimes, I'm a bigger mystery to myself then to anyone else!" _Then he roused himself, and addressed the girl. "Your actions were consistent with your own character, and as young as they are, I'm sure your brothers understand. They did something against your own code, they couldn't have expected you to act any differently. Let's move on. Now how do I ask this, without seeming lascivious? Oh, well! How did my Teutonic rival come to see you...unclad?"

That explanation had him rolling his eyes with exasperation. "That fool! So desperate to come up with new inventions his sister can't claim control of! He can't even afford to try and steal the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer these days, which is something of a relief, frankly speaking! So tired of seeing that on Villainnet every other month! All right, that's explained. Now, how did the 'Pride of Global Justice' manage to violate your privacy?"

"You might reasonably substitute one letter in that description, where Will is concerned," Kim replied somewhat more animatedly, "And it was mostly my fault! I was called on a mission rather abruptly, and teamed with Will, and by the time we reached our destination, I was kind of gamey." She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the memory, "Due to the suddenness of the mission, that is! Anyway, I was hot, tired, frustrated with his attitude, as usual, and I made two mistakes. Since we had to wait for a contact, I went to take a shower, and forgot to lock the bathroom door, and then got the hot and cold water taps mixed up!"

Drakken winced and nodded, "I Know that feeling all too well! Foreign travel is full of pitfalls!"

Kim rolled her eyes, and smiled amiably before continuing, "The upshot was, I screamed, and Will, who'd just finished lecturing me on not letting my guard down, dashed to the rescue, and saw it all! At least he seemed as embarrassed as I was, and fled so quickly he strained something in his back, so I had to massage...uh, let's let it drop there, shall we?" She commenced to finish off the remnants of her meal.

Drakken sipped at his own chocolate for a moment. _"There's still got to be more to it then these little upsets, but how to get it out of her? Or should I? She really needs professional help, obviously. Is it depression? I don't think so. So, what...oh! Almost forgot!" _He reached into his pocket and drew out a stack of mail. Seeing Kim eyeing it curiously, he explained, "Went by the Post Office today, before doing a little research." seeing her look become suspicious, he just smirked, and began to go through his mail. He also activated the computer terminal and let it warm up.

As Kim finished her hot chocolate, a small burp escaped her lips, causing her to blush slightly. Drakken pretended to ignore it, though he smiled slightly, then frowned as he read the return address on one missive. He opened it up and perused the contents with his lips pursed.

When he'd finished, he looked up at Kim. "It seems I've been invited to 'Big Ed' Barr's little Halloween shindig tomorrow night, along with one guest!" As Kim's curiosity showed clearly on her face, Drakken tapped the re-folded letter on his knee. "Hmmm, he wants all the candidates there." He shrugged. "I suppose to say which one he's backing for Mayor. But me? People are beginning to show a distinct lack of respect for my past, I must say!"

"Well, it might surprise you, but there are quite a few citizens of Middleton who actually don't know that you and Candidate Lipsky are one and the same!" Kim told him, "But on the other hand, Big Ed would know, if anyone did. So, the invitation is deliberate, he must assume that your political interests will prevent any bad behavior on your part."

"Hmm, 'never assume'! But, it might be a good idea to attend, but who to take? Shego won't be here tomorrow, and Mother..." he shuddered. "Perhaps I'll go alone, that might be the wisest choice." He began to type on the computer keyboard, and was soon frowning again. "She's gotten into my voicemail again, how does someone who specializes in genetics....well she does have computer skills, to be sure...." he clicked on a link, and DNAmy's voice filled the air. "Oh, Drewkins! I was wondering, if you become Mayor, whether a job running the City zoo might be possible? That is, if the position of First Lady isn't available?"

Kim blinked several times rapidly, then focused on Drakken. "I'm _so_ glad neither of us had a mouthful of hot chocolate when we heard that!"

Drakken's expression soured. "Don't be too happy, I have a stomachful that's taking on a life of it's own right now! I may have to search for the big pink bottle shortly! First, though, better see what message Mother left me." He clicked another link, and the message began.

"Son, this is just to let you know your cousin Eddie is back to normal. As long as no one let's him look at a reflective surface, that is! I'm sure he brought it all on himself, I can't understand how your good example didn't turn him around, and make him a respectable citizen!" Kim covered her mouth to hide the wide smile blooming on her face. "Now, another thing, Son, now that you're in the political arena, you need to straighten up your act! So, if you're going to marry that girl..." and Drakken cut the message off. "I'll listen to the rest, later." He muttered lamely.

Kim fought to keep a straight face. "Um, what did Motor Ed do to tick off Shego so badly?" She asked. After a moment's hesitation, Drakken explained. Kim's eyes widened, then she scowled deeply. "What could have possessed him? Who was he trying to impress? You say it was a biker site, not a villain one? Hmmm! And then he goes and gets the idea to try and steal my Uncle Slim's truck!" Drakken flinched guiltily, but Kim didn't notice. "He seems a little desperate himself, lately! Or, just plain stupid!" Then she looked out into the lair, and her eyes nearly popped out. "Mom?"

Drakken turned to see Anne Possible, escorted by a henchman he'd posted at the entrance, standing in the middle of the floor. She spotted them at the same moment, and marched towards the steps up, a stern look on her face.

Kim shot to her feet, and began to look frantically for her shoes and socks. "What's she doing (hic) here!" Kim covered her mouth, but another hiccup followed. She sat back down, blinking, eyes fixed on her mother's approach.

Drakken stood up as Anne entered. "Drew Lipsky, you have some explaining to do!" She began. Kim hiccuped again, and Anne's gaze went to her daughter, and the mugs on the table. "Firstly, what did you give my daughter to drink!"

00000000000

When Anne pulled into the garage, James was waiting. Kim had fallen asleep in the passenger seat. Her father gently unhooked her seatbelt and picked her up. She barely stirred as he carried her through the living room. Ron, Monique, Bernie, and the Tweebs were assembled, but remained silent as Kim was carried through. James took her to the first floor guest room, as Anne rushed upstairs to get her nightclothes.

"Well," Bernie broke the silence, "She's all right, and obviously not going to be talking to any of us tonight, so we might as well go home. Ron, Monique, I'll give you both a ride, all right?" The pair tore their eyes reluctantly from the door James and Kim had gone through, and nodded. They waited for Anne to come back down, and exchanged good nights, and Ron received her assurance that he'd be the first to know if Kim would be attending school the next day, though Anne doubted it.

Later, Anne roused Kim to help her change for bed. Kim remained silent throughout, as Anne studied her shoulder carefully, before helping Kim into her top. While she was arranging the pillows to protect Kim's shoulder, her daughter looked at her. "Mom?"

"Yes Sweetie?"

Kim swallowed, then spoke in a soft voice, "Mom, I think I need to talk to someone."

Anne looked at her with a touch of pride. "I think so, too, Sweetheart. We'll decide just who it should be tomorrow, okay?"

Kim nodded solemnly. "'Kay!" Anne kissed her on the forehead, then turned the light out, rose and went to the door. "Goodnight, Sweetheart."

"'night, Mom."

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I hope I get the next chapter in before Halloween night, but I'm not betting on it.

Anyway, Please Read and Review.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

**Halloween...**

"So, you had the Princess here, all helpless and everything, and you didn't do _anything _nasty to her?" Shego smirked at Drakken as the two ate breakfast. Her second breakfast, technically, having downed a couple of danish before flying back from Go City in the wee hours of the morning.

"Well, I did feed her veggie burgers, and try to analyze her! And, do you think Kim Possible, emotionally distraught, with only one working arm, really counts as 'helpless'?" Drakken was reading the news on his computer screen, something he'd neglected the day before. "If I had only heard about this yesterday...This may seem uncharacteristic, but I feel sorry for Kimberley, having to get such a strong dose of reality at her age!"

Shego looked at him thoughtfully, nodding slowly. "Yeah, that sort of thing can be hard to take. Saw some video footage from that incident, one of the raiding team recorded the event for posterity, then apparently had it censored. Too many of the targets were unarmed at the time of the raid. They had weapons in the building, _lots _of weapons, but they weren't carrying any just then."

Drakken looked intrigued. "And Kim Possible?"

Shego paused a moment, then shrugged, "Well, after the shooting stopped, there was one of the local CT pointing their weapon at a pile of junk and screaming for someone to come out, or he'd shoot! He was wound up pretty tight, and I think close to pulling the trigger when he was stopped by a guy who sounded Welsh to me. Then this second guy coaxes someone out from under the junk. Looked like a boy at first, wearing mostly rags, head wrapped. But when the wrap came off, it was Possible. Nearly fell out of my seat! She seemed...well, guess what, shocked senseless?"

She took a long swallow of chocolate before resuming, "Camera guy lost interest in her, though, started showing the rest of the place, the capture of the two bad guys they didn't kill, they'd found cover and stayed down, too, 'til all the bloodlust had run it's course. Then came some screaming, hysterical screaming, that might have been Possible. But this guy had worked his way to the far end of the warehouse, and had to thread his way back through a maze, with practically everyone else trying to beat him to the source of the noise, it seemed. Screaming stopped before he reached the source, and didn't see Possible in any subsequent footage. Saw Du, though. Don't think he'd ever seen that sort of thing before, either."

Drakken rested his chin in the palm of one hand, tapping the side his jaw thoughtfully. "PTSD is the most likely answer, I think. You know, in Stoppable's last Opus, 'So the Drama', he credited me with trying to understand what made Kim Possible tick. And it occurs to me, I never did anything of the sort. Never tried to 'know my enemy'! Of course, I did count on you for insights into her."

Shego looked mildly astonished. "Me? Why, because I'm female, too? Not smart, Doc, me and the Princess come from different worlds!"

"Yet your advice about her was right almost every time. Especially on the occasions I chose not to heed it!" His eyes drifted to a blinking icon on his computer screen. Hoping for a change of subject, Shego leaned forward to look for herself. "What is it?"

Drakken scowled. "It seems Uncle Frederick has sent me a message."

Shego's face showed a flicker of relief, and a lot of curiosity, before she hid both under a sarcastic smile. "Great! Let's see what Izzy has to say!"

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Anne Possible returned to the master bedroom to find James nearly finished dressing. He regarded her with one eyebrow raised. "Well?"

She smiled ruefully at him before stepping into the attached bathroom and starting the shower. "No big surprise, she woke up absolutely determined to go to school today!" She called out to him, "That lasted until she tried to get out of bed! She didn't realize what a toll yesterday took on her physically, not just emotionally."

Looking in the dresser mirror as he finished knotting his tie, James shoulders slumped. He walked over to the bathroom door, as the sounds indicated that Anne was now under the shower. "Honey, do you really think Kim needs psychiatric counseling?"

"Absolutely!" James winced at her reply, "And it's long overdue! Keep wondering if _we_ missed any signs of her problem. And we did see some, but we didn't have anything to tie them to! Letting it fester inside her this long...though, she didn't actually realize she had a problem either, until recently, I believe."

"_My little girl, what did I let you do to yourself?"_ Then James stamped down hard on that thought. _"I gave you freedom, which you deserved, and let you chose freely, which you earned!" _But he slumped dispiritedly against the wall. _"But I didn't see those signs of trouble, Anne did! I just dismissed them as __something mysterious and female oriented, an easy out for me! I don't want to think of you being in such pain, and my being ignorant of it!"_ The realization that Anne was talking brought him abruptly out of his musings. "What, Sweetheart?"

She was silent for a moment, and he could imagine her rolling her eyes, but with a smile on her face. "I said, Kim indulged in a little blackmail! She says, since she has to stay home tonight, she'll deal with the trick-or-treaters, and we can go to the Barr party. She pointed out that we've been invited the last five years, at least, and we really have no excuse not to, this time!"

James scowled. "Well, I still think we only got those invitations five years ago because of Kim! Now, maybe we'd earn them for our positions at our work, but...well, we have had legitimate excuses before, and none this year, except having to take care of Kim, that is!"

The shower cut off, and Anne replied, "Kim will be fine by this evening, I'm sure! She's just a bit tired right now, and last night's sleep wasn't enough for her to recover from yesterday. And, she has another reason for asking us to go. She says Drew has been invited to the party, and she'd like us to be there, to see what happens!"

James held his position with difficulty, resisting the urge to look her in the eyes and ask her to repeat herself. He had a hunch his interest in Drew Lipsky would vanish if he looked in on his wife at that moment. "Drew going to a party? Last one I saw him at was a Frat kegger at MIST, where we all...well! I wonder what prompted Ed Barr to invite him?"

"He'll most likely have all the candidates there, from what I've heard. In fact, about what I've heard..." She swept out of the bathroom in her robe, and picked up their cordless bedside phone. As she chose some underwear from her dresser, she dialed a number. She stepped into the walk-in closet as the phone began to ring.

"Hello?"

"Bernadette? It's Anne Possible. James and I were considering attending your father's party tonight, and I was wondering about some stories I've heard about it?"

"Tales of debauchery and craziness? Well, when we were kids, my parents always found somewhere else for us to spend the night in order to miss the party. But, even then the stories were probably exaggerated. And as the regular attendees got older, the parties probably became much tamer. Frank was really disappointed when he hit 18, and got to attend one for the first time. He said it was just another cocktail party, with costumes. Optional, by the way, roughly half of the guests dress semi-formally. My attendance should have been mandatory since I became an adult, but I've missed them all, because of my service in the Navy. Can't say I'm looking forward to it, but it would be nice to see some friendly faces. Oh, how's Kim?"

"Feeling rundown, I'm not letting her go to school today. She's missing too much, but it can't be helped right now." Anne emerged from the closet fully dressed, to find that James had left, probably to start his own breakfast.

"Well, she's maintaining an A-minus average in her grades so far this year, so her problems aren't affecting them. She's been keeping whatever it is buried deep, consciously or not."

"I think we already know what 'it' is, Bernadette, her reaction to the violence she encountered last year."

"Well, that's the most likely culprit, but it might be something else, or a combination of things...sorry, don't mean to be a pessimist, Anne!" Bernie finished apologetically.

Anne made a dismissive gesture, even though Bernie couldn't see it. "No, you're right! As I said, we 'believe' we know. Things may indeed be more complicated, or actually simpler. Anyway, I'm planning to have her go to see Doctor Cardien. According to Betty...Doctor Director, she has a security clearance that will allow Kim to discuss classified matters with her."

"I've heard of her, she's actually on a list the Navy gave me, in case I needed therapy myself. Well, it's good she's seeing someone, in any event! Listen, I really have to go, need to be at school before first bell, and..."

"And I have to get some breakfast before I head into work. Also need to make sure my sons are up. If they already are, they're being uncharacteristically quiet. Which could stem from the grounding we hit them with. Starts tomorrow, they had a commitment for tonight I couldn't bring myself to break for them. Oh, here I am, wasting both our time! I'll see you at the party tonight, Bernadette, bye for now!"

"Good to hear, really! Bye for now."

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Ron Stoppable didn't just keep his friends' secrets, he kept a few of his enemies' as well. One concerned Doctor Drakken's family history. Lipsky was his Mother's maiden name, which she had resumed after divorcing Drew's father. The fact that the man had raised no objection at all when she also changed their son's name to Lipsky spoke volumes as far as Drakken was concerned.

He had two uncles on his mother's side. Anthony, Motor Ed's father, had been business partners with Drew's father. Neither was a particularly honest businessman. Uncle Tony had practically ignored Eddie, or at least done nothing to curb his wild behavior.

On the other hand, Frederick Isidor Lipsky had been a great favorite of Drew's growing up. Though he hadn't been around very often, he treated young Drew with great kindness when he visited. Once, Drew remembered traveling to Washington DC to visit him in a hospital, and having to pass through several guard posts to reach his room. He remembered asking his mother if Uncle Fred had been arrested, or something, causing her to laugh. He didn't learn until much later how wrong he had been, or the truth behind Frederick's long absences.

And now, communications between Drakken and his favorite uncle were difficult. Because Frederick Isidor Lipsky was now the head of the Inspector General's Office for Global Justice. Yet he still occasionally sent messages to Drew, supposedly by a roundabout route. But Doctor Drakken had his doubts, wondering if the missives were actually approved by Frederick's superiors.

And for the record, Shego would never call him 'Izzy' if there was any chance he'd hear of it. She respected Betty Director, and Frederick had been her mentor, and on two occasions Shego happened to overhear Betty Director admitting that in many areas she had yet to overtake her teacher's skills. She really didn't want to find out how hard 'Uncle Fred' could make her life if he wanted to.

Now his recorded visage appeared on the screen on Drakken's computer. Frederick was just past sixty, with a neatly trimmed gray beard, and close-cropped hair. He was not in uniform, and the background suggested a basement room, but that could be window-dressing, or so Drakken surmised as he listened to the message.

"Drew, there are three matters I wish to discuss. Firstly, whatever possessed your employee to do what she did to Edward, tell her that I'm provisionally happy to have heard about it. Provisionally because sometimes such treatment will make a person's character worse, and Edward is quite bad enough, Thank You!"

Shego rolled her eyes and shrugged, unabashed. Drakken tsk-tsked, with a slight smile.

"Secondly, your political ambitions. Though your background may not prevent your election, it may just hinder any efforts by Middleton to receive funds from many places, including the Federal Government. Just a thought."

Shego tapped her lips, nodding thoughtfully, while Drakken grimaced.

"And now to the last, and most important, matter. I have intelligence suggesting that you're on Gemini's latest hit list." Both villains straightened in their respective seats. "I don't know why, or maybe I should say how, you managed it...well, WWEE was testing a new drone aircraft some time ago, not sure about the date. They stole the components, including a cutting edge guidance system from Japan. Gemini insisted the aircraft be assembled and proven immediately, and they never did study the guidance system, among others, so they could duplicate it. Anyway, they lost it over the Atlantic..." Drakken's eyes widened, then tried to cross, as Shego listened with a puzzled look on her face. "They recovered the Black Box from it, and apparently the last image it visually recorded was a bright green ball of energy heading right for it, which had enough Electro-Magnetic energy to fry all unshielded components, which due to the haste in assembling it, was practically everything."

Shego's eyes were bulging, while Drakken's forehead impacted the table top with a loud 'thump'.

"So, they lost the plane, and can't make any more, which is mostly Gemini's fault, of course, as if he would admit that! And he's apparently decided it was a deliberate attack. And under the circumstances, I'd have to interpret it the same way! I mean, over the whole Atlantic Ocean, there's no possibility that you could somehow randomly shoot down his plane, is there? I don't know what game you're playing, Drew, but he's angry, and probably irrationally so. Beware! I would hate to see my sister heartbroken at your grave, Nephew. I'd wish you good luck, but that would be somewhat cynical. Take care Drew." And the message cut out.

Shego looked at Drakken aghast as he slowly raised his head and regarded her. "What? Over the Atlantic? Oh, no, don't tell me, Dementor's Pollen?" Drakken nodded, then gave her a quick summary of their trip to Bermuda, and the distant explosion he'd heard. Shego's jaw dropped. "So, you're saying, 'I shot an arrow into the air' and managed to shoot down Gemini's new toy? Doy! _I _would never believe that was an accident! And a professional paranoid like Gemini? Forget it!"

Drakken shook his head. "Shego, Gemini could have accidentally flown his drone right in _here_, and 'accidentally' fired off a weapon, and you could have destroyed it in response, and he _still _would think of it as a deliberate assault on him! In fact, some of our colleagues have been worried about him lately. Wouldn't take much of an incident for governments to suddenly start treating us the same way they do terrorists, after all! And then, no Global Justice non-lethal policy, anymore! In fact, probably no more Kim Possible being allowed to deal with us."

Shego grimaced. "Wouldn't that be a disaster!" She pointed up at the roof. "Okay, do you think maybe someone up there _really_ doesn't like us?"

Drakken smirked. "Getting religious, all of a sudden?"

Shego grinned back. "Why not? Maybe we should all get religion! I mean, I've gotten Eddie ready to become a Hari Krishna, or maybe a monk in some monastery somewhere!"

"Don't call me 'grasshopper', dude, Seriously!" Drakken quipped.

Shego chuckled, then sobered up. "So, what do we do about Gemini?"

Drakken's visage also became serious. "Call Jack Hench, and get a full staff sent over. Combat capable, and pay the premium, we don't want the ones we usually have for Kim Possible to play with. Not if Gemini goes over the top!" Shego was already on her cell, but not to Henchco.

"Camille Leon? The devil's calling in her marker, call me back within the hour, _capische?" _In response to Drakken's puzzled look, she explained, "Professional obligations take precedence over leisure activities. I need a replacement at the show tonight. And with her shape-changing ability, we should have no problem coming up with something. I'll have to trust Monty to make sure she doesn't get light-fingered, though!" She began dialing Henchco, "You know, this might be a trick to keep you out of public places, or maybe not a trick, the warning might have been officially sent to prevent some kind of massacre of innocents...Hello, Jack? It's Shego. We have an urgent need for some heavyweight security here."

She paused to listen a moment. "No, it's Gemini! And don't let the fact he never gives you any business affect your rates. But on that subject, that modeling gig we discussed, for the new catalog? No, not your original proposal, the 'modified' one you came up with, just before I hung up on you? Yes, I'll agree to _that_, in exchange for either a favorable rate, or receiving more then our money's worth if we pay full price, how's that sound?" She listened a moment then fluttered her eyelashes in irritation and pursed her lips briefly. "All right, one bathing suit, but nothing more revealing then any you let your last wife wear in public! Okay, that's a deal, but expedite their arrival, our warning is dated. Thanks Jack, _Ciao!_"

She closed her cellphone and tossed it on the table, blowing her bangs off her forehead with a long slow exhalation. Drakken regarded her soberly. "Shego, Thank You, I know how much that cost you."

She made a dismissive wave. "Not a problem! Stipulations of my contract. Keep you alive and safe, from all external threats! Oh, and try occasionally to prevent you harming yourself, if possible. You still going to that party tonight?"

Drakken steepled his fingers and thought about it, then nodded. "As you said, this might be a trick to scuttle my political campaign, which is an odd thing to call it, considering I haven't campaigned! I want to see how far I can go with this thing, though his point was valid, about my record."

"And mine! If you actually made me Chief of Police, you could say goodbye to any cooperation with other departments, from local on up to the Feds! Or, they'd cooperate, but not completely."

"Yes, I see your point. Still, you might be an improvement on the current Chief! Old Fraternity brother of our Mayor. Had all the right education for the job, but his resume doesn't entirely hold up under scrutiny. No outright fabrications, but he definitely didn't spend the ten years between college and taking the Chief's job in the manner he claims. And now, he spends more time with the business of his private security firm then he does doing his job. Mostly cleaning up some mess they've caused, like that incident at the MC Honey concert last month. He practices nepotism as a fine art, but not, thankfully, on the Police Force." A funny expression crossed his face, and he suddenly cackled with amusement. "Did you hear what I just said? Oh, Shego, why do I let myself get carried away so easily on a whim! Still, I'm not abandoning this one, until I see how far I can take it!"

Shego shook her head wearily. "So, that means we're going to a party tonight?"

Drakken nodded. "Oh, yes! The question is, to wear a costume or not!"

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Kim found herself waking up for the second time that morning close to eleven, and made a face. She remembered her mother coming in to say she had to leave, and Kim had said she'd be getting up right away. But, she'd leaned back and closed her eyes...

"Feh!" she muttered, then threw her covers off and sat up, swinging her legs off the bed. She still felt tired, but had a very urgent need to get up now. Nevertheless, she moved slowly, until her balance steadied. Then she made her way as quickly as she dared to the bathroom, and dealt with her need.

Emerging only after making a cursory effort to tame her ferocious bedhead, she wandered to the kitchen, and was relieved not to find a breakfast gone cold while she slept. _"I wouldn't be surprised if Mom knew I'd conk out again. I hope I'm as good a mother to mine and Ron's children when I grow up."_

She prepared her own meal without incident, interested in the process of planning her actions in advance to accommodate her disability. _"Well, I am a planner by nature. Yet, I improvise on the fly so often. That's me, Kim Contradiction!" _She smirked as she began eating and looking around. _"What can I do to occupy myself? Well, first, take a bath! Then...I'm not so sure about climbing to the loft, but I need fresh clothes! Maybe I'll feel better with food in me."_

In the event, she found that her mother was again one step ahead of her. She found a note on the steps up to the loft. She read it aloud. "'Kim, please check the dresser drawers in the guest room. Yes, I said something to you about it, but I don't think you were awake! Please take it easy, Sweetheart, Home early to change for the party. Love, Mom!'" Kim rolled her eyes, but smiled fondly as she trekked back downstairs to the guest room.

Bathed and dressed, she came to another unpleasant realization. _"School Books! Can't do any of my assignments, they're still at school!"_ Another thought then occurred. _"My Kimmunicator! Did anyone bring it home? Oh, I was really out of it yesterday, wasn't I?" _Momentarily depressed, she rallied and headed for the guest room again to straighten it up. One-armed bed making she'd already mastered with her own bed. But something was missing. _"Pandaroo! I wonder if...No, might be a bad idea, I like to hug him with both arms, could end up doing something in my sleep that would hurt my shoulder! Haven't done it yet, but..."_

Even though the first trick-or-treaters were hours away, she began to organize things for that evening, humming to herself as she worked. Then she stopped, brow furrowed. _"I'm really behaving normally, right now! But, I'm no fool, whatever's bothering me is still there. I just seem to be able to ignore it? I'm thinking about it now, though, yet I'm not getting all tensed up! Okay, a psychiatrist I'm not, but how does this work, anyway?"_ She continued her preparations, now with a puzzled frown on her face. Eventually she concluded that her previous day's behavior had let some kind of pressure off, that had been building up inside her for some time. She was just benefiting from that release now. _"Well, for an amateur, that's as good a theory as any, I guess."_

At noon, she sat down and turned the TV on. She used the picture-in-picture function to show the news in one corner of the screen, as she watched a Knowledge Channel documentary on the history of All Hallows' Eve.

The program was up to Middle Age traditions when her eyes suddenly focused on the smaller picture. A face that seemed familiar was on the news. She pushed the 'Swap' button, switching the programs on the screen. The picture was of a woman of about forty, with short blonde hair, sitting on a sofa, with a young girl about a year and a half old cradled in her left arm. The woman's right arm was a prosthesis. The caption along the bottom of the screen read: 'Melinda Hunter, Naval Reservist, kidnap victim.'

"Melinda." Kim whispered, and began to watch raptly.

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"Stoppable! Were you planning to join the rest of your classmates in their attempts to improve their minds, or were you just planning to see if you could steam up that whole display case with your breath?" Ron stood up straight and spun around from a display case devoted to the Mad Dogs' football teams down through the years. There were separate ones for the Basketball and Track and Field teams in other parts of the building, as well as two covering the remaining team sports. Mister Barkin had typically been standing right behind him when he'd announced his presence.

"Um, Sorry Mister B! I was just looking at pictures of some of the old teams, and I saw this one," He pointed, "And...am I nuts, or is that Miss Barr in uniform?"

"That's an affirmative to both questions, Stoppable! Miss Barr was a junior, and tried out for the team as a kicker. Kicked in two games, with mixed results. Accurate, but couldn't get enough height on her kicks! Two out of four field goals, with two blocked, four of six extra points, with two blocked. Didn't try out the following year, turned her attention to the Swim team, was on one or two relay teams, but overall team record that year was rather poor. Now, having satisfied your admirable curiosity regarding your school's athletic past, are you aware that you will be late for class in exactly..." He consulted his watch, "Forty-Five seconds?"

"Well, then it's lucky that I happen to be right across the hall from my next one, isn't it?" Ron replied with a wide grin, then ducked past the glowering assistant principal and through the door to History class.

He had barely dropped into his seat when Bonnie Rockwaller leaned over from hers and tapped his shoulder. "How's your girlfriend?" Her tone was snarky, but only a pale shadow of her usual delivery, as if she was hiding something. Like real concern.

"Did something happen to Kim? Why isn't she here today?" This came from Tara, seated behind Bonnie.

Ron struggled to come up with an answer, and wondered why Miss Fielder wasn't here, to give him an out by starting class. "Well, Um, she had a bad day yesterday, and it took a lot out of her." It sounded lame to him, even as he said it.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Look, Ron...Stoppable, I already know a lot! Kim, her parents, her brothers, Buzz and his parents, all in the Principal's Office, then Kim leaving without stopping for her coat, crying! So, something upset her, badly, and I'm betting it's something to do with what's on the news about her. She rescued some Navy guys, and got caught in a massacre by some trigger-happy local troops! What did she do, just try breezing along after something like that, thinking she was immune to..." she suddenly choked up. Ron was experiencing a mix of anger and bewilderment, then outright shock joined in.

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder!" Tara whispered, causing both Bonnie's and Ron's jaws to drop as their heads snapped around to look at the blonde. "My Uncle Bob had that! Three years after he came back from the first Gulf War, he suddenly got so weird he had to put himself in the hospital for a few months. It's sneaky, and can wait a long time before it surprises you, he said! And now you think Kim has it? That's Terrible!"

"Uh, well, we're not completely sure..." Ron's mouth suddenly ran dry, and Bonnie decided to finish for him, "But we're almost sure! But we need to keep it a secret if we can, Tara!" Ron's jaw returned to it's lowest extension as he looked at the brunette in utter surprise. She gave him an 'Oh, Please!' look, as Tara nodded solemnly, but Miss Fielder entered at that moment, and the time for conversation was past.

Ron was mystified by Bonnie's behavior, but was unable to ask her any questions when the bell ended the class. Mostly due to being held up a couple of minutes after class to prove to Miss Fielder that he actually _did _know the difference between Stonewall Jackson and Andrew Jackson, and his slip-up in class had been a momentary lapse in attention.

Exiting the class, he didn't head for the cafeteria. The incredible truth was, Ron sometimes lost his appetite on game day. Not that anyone was likely to believe that, but it was nevertheless true. Besides, he had decided to attend to two other bits of business.

For the first, he called Wade. "Hey, Ron! Haven't got long, I have a student coming in a few minutes." Wade made a face as he announced that.

"No Problemo, Wadester! Just checking to see if my travel arrangements have been made?"

"Oh! Yeah, you'll have a ride waiting tonight, but are you sure you want to go right after the game? Why not wait until tomorrow?"

Ron shook his head, a determined look in his eye. "Kim said not to go until after the game! But, she may try and talk me out of going altogether if I see her, and someone needs a lesson about spying on my BFGF, and I am the person to teach that lesson!"

Wade nodded in resignation. "Okay, but Kim might get mad!"

Ron shrugged. "If she does, she does! But, I can't let this go, Wade! I'll call you for the details on the ride later, I've got to go see Bernie about something, if she's in her office."

"Later, Ron!"

Bernadette was in her office, and surprised to see Ron. She'd been watching the afternoon news, and wasn't in the best mood, but brightened considerably when she saw her visitor. "Hey Ron! Something wrong?"

Ron hesitated uncertainly before speaking. "I'm not sure. I'm sort of here to ask your opinion about that. It's about a dream."

Bernie's expression went from worried to very interested. "Oh? One of your shared dreams with Kim?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah, but I don't think she knew I was there in this one. Sort of felt like I was spying on her, though trying to understand the dream made me a little upset, about what it might mean." He took a deep breath. "It wasn't a nightmare, really, everything was real peaceful. It's just that I don't know what made her dream it, that's all."

"And until you tell me what you're talking about, I can't begin to guess, Ron." Bernie pointed out with a smile.

"Oh, Right! Well, it started with her waking up. In a big double bed, but alone. And she got up, and there were no pictures, or anything, of a husband or boyfriend, which I sort of figured was me, natch. Anyway, there was a crib in the room, and in it was a mini-Kim, a beautiful little baby with red hair and green eyes. My point of view was kinda strange, like I was just drifting around the room, but always looking at her. And then she started what I guess would be a usual routine, taking care of the baby, getting dressed, making breakfast. But here's the thing: she only had one arm! But she handled everything like she'd had lots of practice. What disturbed me was that I wasn't there, and I wondered why!"

Ron was wringing his hands now. "I mean, if I had died, or something, and Kim been hurt on a mission or something, she'd have still had pictures of me, right? The only other possibility I thought of was that I had abandoned her because of...but I never would!" He then noticed Bernie nodding in satisfaction. "What?"

"It's nothing to do with you, Ron. I don't know why, but she seems to have been dreaming that she was someone else. Melinda Hunter, specifically. She was the other woman in the liberty party with me when we were grabbed. She's...thirty-eight, and had an eight month old little girl at the time. We talk about once a month, these days. She lives in Pittsburgh, and she has mentioned that Kim has visited her several times. So, she was dreaming what it might be like to be in that situation, I suppose."

Ron nodded slowly, looking slightly relieved, if still puzzled. "Well, I suppose that's good news, for me! Do you think Kim has been checking up on all the victims?"

Bernie shrugged. "Well, maybe the ones who had to leave the service because of their injuries." She paused with a frown. "Well, except I didn't hear from her at all, from the day we were rescued, until we met in the hall here my first day after taking over from Mrs Graham. But then, she probably knew I had family around to help me, but Melinda only has her In-Laws, and they live in Oregon."

Ron looked troubled, as he remembered something. "So, Kim went to visit that woman and her little girl, a few times? She has been going off solo a lot the last year, sometimes with kind of flimsy excuses. Well, Okay, the excuses involving my grades may have had _some_ truth to them! Anyway, some of the trips were missions, and I felt real bad about her going alone. But I guess others were...well, I guess I don't really know, do I?"

"Ron, do you still have any doubts, about you and Kim, as a couple?"

Ron fidgeted nervously. "Well, yeah! But that isn't necessarily a bad thing, right? I mean, I've heard that taking something for granted is an easy way to lose it, right? I mean, except for the 'Ron Factor' thing, Kim usually had a good reason to go on a mission alone before. Or, a bad reason, but those were all my fault."

"The 'Ron Factor'? I read the story, but how much of that was true?"

"Oh, well, practically none of it! It was just that GJ put us through some tests to see how we each functioned alone, or with different partners. Easy little missions, or they were supposed to be, anyway! I can't tell you how, but I sort of triggered some major trouble with WWEE, on one of mine! That's how we first got on Gemini's radar screen, that much is true. Kim did three solo missions for them, I did two. And she did two with Will 'Dud', I did two with Brenda Core, who surprisingly didn't recommend summary execution in my case, I may have deserved it!" Ron finished with a grin. "Anyway, they finally decided Kim was good as a solo act, but somehow didn't have the same mojo. Me, they decided to re-evaluate at a future date. Probably when they get some new people in, who haven't heard about the first time, heh!"

Brenda grinned back. "Well, I didn't think Gemini was the sort to offer you a Chimmarito Grande, to tell the truth!"

"Well, a WWEE agent once tried to give me a Naco with plastic explosive in it, but he was held up by Ned, who didn't like his presentation. When he suddenly panicked and dove out the drive-thru window, Kim got wise and got rid of the Naco. Blew off half of the sign, but better that then us, right?"

Brenda nodded, then a thought struck her. "Oh, speaking of food, I hear you spent a month interning with Mister Pittman. He's catering Dad's party tonight. He actually said he wished he had you available instead of the guys he's going to have to use. So, you must have made a favorable impression on him."

Ron smiled broadly. "Oh, yeah, that was kinda cool, all the things they have to do for those parties and things. But, you know, I don't remember too many details, I was always running almost on auto-pilot, you know? Most of what I was thinking about was Kim, and Senior Year. I worry about her more these days, I think, and I can't think why, exactly. Maybe I did sense something wrong with her, maybe?"

Bernie nodded thoughtfully. "I wouldn't be surprised. Or, maybe you're thinking more realistically about what she does. I mean, considering your father's occupation, maybe you've been thinking about the odds against her, or something."

Ron shook his head sharply. "Oh, no! If I actually calculated the odds, I'd probably want to lock her up in a room somewhere." He paused, and smirked, "Which would never happen, so I'd probably lock myself up, instead! That way...okay, it made sense to me there for a minute, I swear!"

Before Bernie could answer, the bell rang. Ron shot to his feet. "Aw, Man! Now I'm actually hungry, and I've skipped lunch!"

Bernie smiled, shaking her head. "Here, Ron!" She opened a drawer and pulled out two energy bars, which she handed to him. "If you get caught eating them, tell them I prescribed them, okay?"

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Monique headed for the Possible home as soon as school let out. Ron would be going straight on the bus to Lowerton, the game being an early start, so Monique took it upon herself to check in on Kim. She found herself walking with the Tweebs, and getting an accurate account of what had happened the day before.

The narration came from two throats alternating, but in the interest of clarity: "And that's when Kim excused herself! We thought she was going to the nurse's office, but she left, instead! And we all went looking for her, but Doctor Drakken found her first, and took her to his lair! And Mom went and got her, all by herself!"

Monique shook her head in bewilderment. "That girl has been doing a good job of hiding her problem, or I've been blind! Or maybe I don't look for flaws in her behavior, or don't...I'll bet I'm just one more person wondering why they didn't see it, aren't I? I...Uh, Oh! There's a problem!" She pointed.

The Possible house was a block away, but clearly visible. A TV News van was parked in front of it, and Summer Gale could be made out pacing besides it, gesticulating sharply at her crew. "Wonder what she's here for? Oh, stupid question! Kim's name is connected to the big story, of course she's here to interview her! Wonder why she isn't ringing the doorbell?"

"She already did!" Tim replied. Monique looked down to see Tim with some kind of gadget in his hand, 'pointed' towards the distant newswoman. An earpiece was connected to the gadget, which seemed to be assembled from a PDA and two pens. "She's rung the bell several times, and nobody's answered! But she knows Kim isn't in school, and she thinks she's inside, just not answering!"

"Oh, I hope Kim's all right!" Monique spoke in a worried tone. Then her face set in a determined look. "We need to find out! I suppose you know a back way into your own house?"

The Tweebs rolled their eyes. "Several!" Jim replied, "So let's stop standing here, and go see if Kim's all right!"

Ten minutes later they were inside. Monique headed directly for the living room. Kim was seated on the couch, staring into space, the plasma screen in front of her displaying some kind of program about Victorian England, but Kim wasn't paying it any attention.

Monique approached quietly and sat on the couch next to Kim. As the cushions shifted under her weight, Kim blinked, then looked around and saw the three of them. "Oh! Hi Mon, Hi guys!" She smiled, then noticed the program on the screen, and scowled slightly, before shaking her head and turning the TV off.

"You Okay, Girlfriend?" Monique asked worriedly. "You've apparently had the press pounding on the door, you know."

Kim nodded. "I know! I'm fine, just didn't want to talk to them, even to be polite. Just too run down, right now! Feeling better since I ate breakfast..." Her stomach chose that moment to make a loud announcement. Kim colored slightly. "Though I did skip lunch, I'm afraid!"

"Is something wrong, though?" What made you skip lunch, for instance?"

"I..." She looked at the Tweebs, "Um, guys, can I talk to Mon privately, please and thank you?"

They nodded, then Jim spoke up. "First, we want to apologize if we upset you, yesterday, we knew how you'd react if you found out what we did, honestly!" "Yeah," Tim chimed in, "So we're not mad at you for what you did, just mad we got caught! Gotta go, have a nice talk!" And they both dashed upstairs.

Kim just stared after them, mouth open to reply for a moment, then she snapped it shut. "Those two! I love them, really, but..." She shrugged, "Never mind, back to your question! I was watching the news..." She explained about Melinda Hunter, "And then they announced that one of the others, maybe the guy who got them into the trouble, was missing, and they're afraid he might be suicidal. Then they went to the other guy who retired, he's deaf and blind on one side now. Jerry Goldin, he lives in West Virginia. And...Mon, I visited him once, but he's surrounded by family and relatives, he has plenty of support. Melinda's alone, and I've been to see her several times. But...I never went to see Bernie!"

Kim stood up and began to pace. "From the day I saw her on that stretcher, until I saw her in school, and found out she was the replacement nurse, I never contacted her at all! She helped me when I was little. I wanted a small life! One friend, Ron! My parents! And, well, I had to accept the Tweebs, even though I thought a little sister would be better!" She grinned, "But Bernie got me to widen my vision of my life, to try and be popular, to try and participate in group activities. Not always with success, but she kept me from giving up! And I never called her, or went to see her, all those months!"

"Well, you knew she was all right, and she has family around her, too, right?" Monique reasoned, though from the look on her face, she felt her effort to be lame.

Kim looked at her as if frustrated that Monique didn't get her point, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, I guess I need to save this for when I see my psychiatrist." Her eyes suddenly widened. "'My' psychiatrist! Oh, Mon, I don't know if I can handle that! I mean, talking to a stranger like that about my personal feelings! Doctor Director has told me more then once how poorly my interviews with the GJ shrinks have gone, and now I have to make it work, for my own sake!" She huffed in frustration. "But I need to try, I Know that! I'm not hung up about people thinking I'm crazy, or anything, I _know_ I've got good reason to be messed up! Must have just thought I could handle it myself."

Monique smiled at her best friend, shaking her head. "Of course you did! But, you might have realized sooner that you weren't managing so well on your own! But, your natural 'Kimness', as Ron puts it, got in the way, I guess!"

Kim nodded ruefully, but the sound of the garage door opening stopped her from continuing the conversation. Instead she began to move quickly about, checking on all the things she'd done to prepare for that evening.

Anne Possible came through the connecting door, frowning. "Kim, are you all right? Miss Gale says she tried the door several times, and no one answered."

"I know, Mom. I Just didn't want to open the door to her, or anyone, right now!" Then Kim grinned. "But don't worry, I'll be open for business tonight!" She indicated the bowls of treats waiting near the front door. After examining them briefly, Anne smiled guardedly. "All right, if you're feeling all right?" Kim nodded in response, "Then I'd better get my costume for this evening together. Since we're going, might as well have some fun!" Still regarding her daughter with some suspicion, she went up the stairs.

"Phew!" Kim dropped back onto the couch, cradling her injured arm. "Well, I hope they both have a good time. And Ron has a good game. And you, what should I hope for, for you?"

Monique rolled her eyes. "Hope I don't act out my feelings towards Trey Benton tonight, or we may be talking to each other through bars! You will _not_ believe what he pulled on me today..."

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Not far away, four female figures gathered in a small patch of woodland overlooking the possible house. "Forgive my earlier impertinence," One spoke while respectfully bowing to another, "You were correct in not changing our plan due to unexpected opportunity! We would not have been able to complete our plans with Miss Possible before the arrival of her brothers and friend, or even before her mother returned home!"

The other nodded in acceptance, but replied, "But that is not the point! We must take as many steps as possible to delay the discovery of our visit, and the actions we will take! The plan may not preserve the secret long, though we can hope for fortuitous circumstances! We will now proceed as planned, when she is alone tonight!"

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Bernadette Barr was acting as hostess briefly while her mother was occupied, and was hoping that it wouldn't be too long. She was wearing a cowgirl outfit, with low boots, which were easier for her to manage with an artificial foot. Her clothes were authentically rough, not a modern costume. Her gun belt held a real working replica of an 1875 Remington Revolver, empty of course. It was mostly dark gray, with a blue shirt and a red bandanna.

The Rockwallers were arriving, party of five. Bonnie was still not an adult, but her two older sisters flanked their father, dressed in 1920s style flapper outfits. Bennett himself was done up as a George Patton-style General, wearing an old style fatigue cap instead of a helmet, and a regulation belt and holster with a pearl-handled .45 automatic in it. He also had the inevitable swagger stick.

His wife wasn't much for fancy parties, and had stayed home to deal with trick-or-treaters, but his sister and brother-in-law were present. Don Leo was dressed as a Viking, with plastic battleaxe, horned helmet, and all. At six feet seven, and two hundred seventy pounds, down somewhat from his playing days, he made an impressive sight. His wife Samantha was wearing a 1920s era swimming outfit, a far cry from the small bikinis she'd worn during her beach career. She still made quite an impression on the male guests. The women's costumes weren't revealed until they were inside and had shed their coats, it being a bit chilly out for the light wear.

The Gearys showed up next, just three in number. Joe Senior and Sheila were dressed as George and Martha Washington. Joe Junior, obviously unhappy to be present, was dressed as a prohibition-era gangster, in pin-stripe suit and sharp white fedora. Since the balloon incident, he'd been on a short leash with his parents, College freshman or not. He'd already had to drive Cameron to school a couple of times, and pick her up in the afternoon, something he was desperate to keep his frat brothers from finding out. Once inside, he began idly checking out the female help, especially the servers hired by Pittman Catering for the event. Many of them were college girls themselves, needing money more then a night out having fun this Halloween.

The Stoppables arrived next, Dean Stoppable dressed as Teddy Roosevelt, his wife as a witch, oddly enough. Bernie greeted them with a touch more warmth then the previous arrivals. "Well, so you finally managed to attend one of these, Bernie?" Dean asked, smiling. "Kind of odd, living here your whole life, and missing all the earlier ones!"

Bernie smiled back. "Well, the first year I was old enough, I enlisted on my birthday, and wasn't even in the country for any of them after that, until this year." Then her eyes shifted to the next arrivals, and her smile widened. "Whoa! Nice outfits! Are we the Doctors Jones tonight? And are the whips real?" She added with a mischievous smile.

Anne Possible grinned back, replying in a low voice, "That's for us to know, etcetera! How are you doing, Bernie?" The Doctors Possible were wearing outfits reminiscent of Indiana Jones, differing in some details. Anne's jacket was black, her fedora a light tan. James also had a canteen slung across his chest in addition to the coiled whip on his shoulder.

Bernie answered in an equally low tone. "I'll be better when I'm done with the 'Meet and Greet', that I can tell you! I'd...what the hell?" She was looking down the sidewalk at another approaching couple. The Possibles turned and saw who was coming as well. "Drew?" James muttered in astonishment.

Doctor Drakken was dressed as a vampire, apparently, in a black suit with a ruffled red shirt, and the usual red-lined black cape. Shego was on his arm, and _barely_ inside a slinky, low-cut dress, black, liberally decorated with sequins. Her hair was piled high on top of her head, and she was wearing some serious _bling._

"Um, welcome to the party, Mister Lipsky!" Bernie stammered out when they reached her. "Are you both vampires? I can't...oh!" Shego had opened her mouth in a wide smile, revealing a pair of subtle fangs. "That answers that, I Guess! And no coats? Well, enjoy yourselves, father should be about somewhere, I'm sure he wants to talk to you, Mister.."

"Drew, please, Miss Barr! Bernadette, I believe?" Drakken replied, showing a great deal more charm then a fan of Ron's fiction would have imagined. Bernie nodded, and Drakken smiled, "I'm sure we'll have a fine time! Come, Shego, let's mingle!" He started into the crowd. Shego rolled her eyes theatrically, then followed.

"Well, the evening just got _way_ more interesting!" Bernie commented. Both Possibles nodded in agreement.

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The Tweebs left just at sunset, along with several others their age, and a chaperon. Kim sighed as they left, smiling faintly. _"Well, at least I don't have to escort them! Twice was enough, especially when they didn't like the treat they got, and tried to 'trick' someone!"_ She settled down to wait for her first customers, who weren't long in coming.

She wasn't wearing a costume herself, though the Tweebs and Monique had suggested a mummy, with her arm still pinned to her chest by some bandages. It had been tempting, until she found out she'd have to use the leftover bandages from the Tweebs' costumes from last year. She'd decided to pass, the 'zombie' odor her brothers had come up with still lingered in the wrappings.

It was after her third group of the night that it happened. She had just sat back down on the couch, when the news came over the radio. _"...we now have our second final of the night in high school football action. In a game marred by __twelve__ turnovers by the combined teams, the Lowerton Lemurs upset the Middleton Mad Dogs 24 to 23. Ron Stoppable scored three touchdowns in the losing effort, one on defense, and gained 178 total yards, but Middleton was undone by bad ball handling, Lowerton scoring two defensive touchdowns on interceptions. Since the graduation of Brick Flagg, quarterback has been a problem spot for Middleton..."_ Kim clicked off the radio with a grimace. _"Oh, well, Ron better come by for a little morale boost after that."_

She suddenly felt a slight tickle on the back of her neck. Then her eyes closed and she slumped limply on the couch. A figure rose from behind the couch, and made a hand gesture towards the kitchen door. Three more figures reponded quickly, rushing into the living room. They were all dressed in ninja style clothes, dark gray save for red trim around their collars. They all bore bulky bundles on their backs. The three new arrivals unbuttoned their collars and turned them down, revealing a white lining. Two took hold of Kim with great care, lifting the sleeping girl and bearing her towards the back of the house, towards the guest room.

The third turned to the girl with her collar still buttoned. "You have your instructions, carry out your task!" The addressed ninja bowed, and her superior left. She then turned and extinguished the light in the entryway, so she would be backlit when she opened the door by the light from the living room. The outside light over the door was shining brightly enough in visitors' eyes to prevent them from seeing her face clearly, if she stayed back far enough from the door.

Her first test came quickly. A brother and sister held their bags out, and she deftly flipped treats into them. The little girl's eyes widened. "Cool costume!" She enthused. Her brother rolled his eyes. "Ninjas are so old!" He stated with mild derision, then turned and walked back towards their waiting mother. His sister smiled weakly in apology, then turned and dashed after him. The Ninja shrugged and closed the door until the next visitors.

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Freed from door duty, Bernie was chatting with Ollie Pittman, the portly caterer.

"Oh, yes! That Stoppable boy was a wonder, sometimes! I didn't always understand _how_ he managed it, but he could run off a couple of hundred hors'deuves in remarkably short time! I tell you, the boy has talents!" He stopped to watch three men dressed as identical toy soldiers walk past. "Quite nice costumes! Wonder who they are?"

Bernie shrugged. Her attention had been drawn to someone in what she guessed was a Captain Morgan costume, though she couldn't remember offhand if Captain Morgan had needed an eye patch. "Not sure, might be some of my brother's frat friends, crashing the party! They've done it before." Her parents, father in Edwardian splendor, mother as Marie Antoinette, were holding court at the entrance to the main parlor. Her older brother Franklin, wearing a fancy Civil War era Union General's dress uniform, and sister Suzette, as the Bride of Frankenstein, were animatedly talking to the Gearys. Her younger brother Joe was nowhere to be seen, however, unless he was one of the toy soldiers. If he wasn't, then maybe they weren't frat boys after all.

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Ron Stoppable settled into his seat on the small executive jet even as it began it's take-off roll at the Tri-Cities Airport. He massaged his neck with one hand as he buckled in with the other. Losing the game had hurt, in more ways then one. He hoped he was going to have better luck on his current mission. _"Kim isn't going to be too happy with me, but at least she's safe at home! I should be back by tomorrow evening, and I should have an idea how to apologize by then!"_

Roy Yemana, regional Vice-President for Nakasumi industries, and a frequent traveling companion to the globe-trotting heroes, waited until the plane was flying at altitude before unbuckling and coming back to join Ron, bringing a bag of chips and a pair of game controllers. "Want to sleep, or would you like to try and avenge your previous loss at _'Zombiegeddon 3' _?"

Ron smirked evilly. "Bring it on! Not going to let that defeat go unavenged, evil one!" As Yemana set up the game, Ron leaned back and stretched. _"Well, hope I don't miss anything important back in Middleton!"_

A long chapter, and I still didn't finish Halloween night! Oh, well, hope I generated a little suspense with my endings here.

Please Read and Review!


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

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"You don't seem much at all like you are represented in Ron Stoppable's stories, Mister Lipsky." A middle aged woman who was ideally suited for the Cruella De Ville costume she wore remarked to Drakken.

"No, not any more, at least!" He replied, "There's nothing like having your character flaws exaggerated in stories read widely on the Internet to make you recognize them! And motivate you to deal with them, as well." He sipped at his soda, while studying the crowd of costumed and costumeless partygoers circulating around him. He was being studied in turn, especially by Joe Geary Senior and Bennett Rockwaller. He missed two other pairs of interested eyes, however. And a single one.

Bernadette Barr didn't miss the first two pairs, mostly because she'd been watching for them. "Oh, Brother!" She muttered, then winced, "Literally!"

"Beg Pardon?" She turned to find Shego next to her, regarding her with mild curiousity. "Oh, sorry, I just spotted trouble about to happen, that's all! But, maybe this is luck, because you can take one worry off my hands!"

Shego arched one eyebrow eloquently. "And why would I help?" She asked doubtfully.

Bernie smiled smugly, then pointed. "Over there, the guy in the Riverboat Gambler costume? My brother Joe, who I sincerely hoped would _not _attend this year! And talking to him is another Joe..."

"Geary, Junior. Yeah, I recognize him, so what?"

"They're plotting together, to do something to disrupt this party in a way they'd both find 'entertaining'. No spiked punch or sophomoric nonsense for them! And they seem to be _very_ interested in your boss, who I'm afraid may be their target for tonight."

Shego's eyes narrowed as she studied the pair. "I see! Can't have that! Um, what was the other worry you had?"

Bernie looked around the room and grimaced in frustration. "Captain Morgan. Guy dressed up like him, anyway! He's trying too hard to avoid being seen by someone, not sure who. And I mean, he's dodging and ducking really hard! Not sure his costume's authentic, maybe he's just a generic pirate with an eyepatch!"

She scanned the room again. "He's not in here, though, might be in the dining room or the back parlor now." She suddenly became aware that she was talking to someone who wasn't there. "Shego?"

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Another party was in progress elsewhere in Middleton, right on the northern city limits, technically. And at least one of the attendees was having serious second thoughts about attending it in the first place.

There were no real costumes being worn, though a few funny hats and other accessories were present. Those attending consisted primarily of college age males and high school age females. No alcohol was visible in the main room, but the site was a three-bedroom condominium, and there were certainly many places where more private parties might be in progress.

Bonnie Rockwaller stood in one corner of the downstairs den, seriously wishing she'd stayed home and handed out candy with her mother. As well as wishing she'd never bought the red dress she now wore, never mind wearing it here tonight. She was beginning to feel like she was covered in blood, and beginning to excite the sharks. _"This was such a bad idea!"_

"This is So _Not_ a good idea!" the familiar voice echoing her own thoughts made Bonnie jump. She looked quickly to her left, and saw Monique standing there. She was also wearing a rather daring party dress, hers in white. She looked at Bonnie, "You thinking the same thing?"

Bonnie tried putting on a haughty air. "Why do you say that?" She asked archly.

Monique snorted in amusement. "Because, like me, you're in a corner, keeping your back to the wall, that's why!" She looked around, and shifted uneasily when she noticed the expressions directed her way. "You want to get out of here, or do you have friends here to look after?"

Bonnie kept her jaw from dropping with an effort. "Um, no, I came with someone, but they said I was on my own once we got in the door, so...why are you being nice to me?"

"Because I need someone to watch my back as I make a break for the door, and you're the only girl here showing the sense to get out of this disaster waiting to happen, that's why!" She grinned, "So it's nothing personal. But, I do have a car, and you're a long way from home, so I guess I can give you a ride, if you don't mind one stop on the way."

Put that way, Bonnie would have to have been a fool to say no. Or too full of arrogance, and fortunately she hadn't been overstocked with that lately. "Sure, whatever! Let's get going, before one of the sharks attack!"

Monique didn't need that translated, though she had assigned another word other then 'shark' to the frat boys. A far less polite one. The two made their way to the door, where they found it much harder to get past the three greeters stationed there then it had been to convince the boys to let them in.

Eventually free of clutching paws, the pair were soon in Monique's car, or rather her mother's car, borrowed on the basis of Monique's generally good behavior. Getting clear of the overparked area took some care, but they were soon on their way. "So, what's your excuse for thinking that going to _that_ party was a good idea?" Monique asked.

Bonnie shrugged. "I can't remember, actually! I mean, I heard about it, but never intended to go, until I suddenly had to get out of my house! My sisters primping and chatting about how great the party they're at is supposed to be, and Mom telling me how much fun we'd have together while they were gone. Same thing she's said to me on such occasions for....a long time. Anyway, Wendy was going to this party, so I called her up, and begged for her to take me with her! And she did. Now, why were you there?"

"I was mad at someone, and this was supposed to be some kind of twisted revenge in my own fool head!" Monique shook her head angrily. "Why do we do such stupid things because of _men_!"

"They say the same thing about us!" Bonnie retorted, "And don't get me started telling you the things I did to stay on Brick's arm, top of the food chain! But as bad as those things were, when it came to Junior....and he was even more clueless then Brick about what some of those things cost me! It's almost enough to turn a girl gay!"

Monique snorted. "That's a 'Grass is always Greener' sitch, Bonnie. When you get there, you find the same degree of aggravation, if you hook up wrong! It's love, desire, insecurity, everything! Trying to find one special person may be a fool's quest!" Then Monique smiled. "Then you look at Kim and Ron..." And they both fell silent for a minute. Bonnie ended up breaking the silence.

"Where's the one stop, anyway?" she asked half-heartedly, still thinking how badly the evening had gone so far.

Monique took a quick look at Bonnie before replying. "Kim's house, I want to check up on her. She's alone there tonight, and she'll be mad as hell if she thinks I'm watching out for her, but I worry about her."

"That's fine." Bonnie replied quietly.

"You don't have a problem with that?" Monique asked curiously.

Bonnie sighed dejectedly. "Not at the moment, no. But tomorrow, some silly or trivial event will probably have me hating her again!" She grimaced, then offered an explanation. "Last June, I was _so_ mad at her! Then she turned around and stood up for me, and I thought she wasn't so bad, which lasted less then a week, because of Junior!"

"Whoa! Slow down and go back to the beginning! What happened in June? Wait! Oh, No! You were the one, weren't you?" Monique stopped babbling when she saw Bonnie cringing in the passenger seat. "Oh! Sorry, didn't mean to hammer you like that, it's just I've never known the complete story of what happened that night. Kim doesn't like to talk about it at all."

"I don't blame her!" Bonnie muttered. She sat up straight, took a deep breath, and began to explain. "It was the Celebrity Charity Fashion show at the Middleton Convention Center. Which must mean _you_ were there, all things considered." Monique rolled her eyes and nodded, as Bonnie continued. "So was my whole family. And _I_ managed to become one of the models without them knowing it, for at least one dress. Was really going to flaunt that in front of my sisters!"

"Then I spotted Possible backstage, searching for something, and just _had_ to rub her nose in it, too! But, I caught up with her just as she found what she was looking for. It was a big metal canister with an automatic valve on top, and I knew it was trouble because she was frantically talking to her computer nerd, trying to get him to tell her how long she had before it went off, and what was in it! Didn't take a rocket scientist to figure how what that meant, and I was all ready to run, when that kid told her it was going off in less then a minute or two, at most. Possible looked around, and spotted a walk-in refrigerator, and began trying to drag the thing into it. She couldn't, not alone, so I took hold of it, too. Didn't think about it too much, just did it! We got it in the fridge, which was fortunately turned off, because they were just using it for temporary storage at the time."

"And then it started to hiss! And I grabbed the door and pulled it shut! I mean, my family was there! Kim made sure the vents were closed, and I just stood there, waiting to choke, or melt, or turn purple! But that's not what happened."

Monique was trying to suppress a grin. Bonnie made a face. "Go ahead and laugh! You might as well, anyone would!" Monique shook her head, forcing the grin off her face. "No, I wouldn't laugh at Kim, I won't at you, either! Go on, finish your story."

"Someone later called the little monsters Nanomoths. They ate our clothes, right off our bodies, as well as three rolls of canvas tarpaulin, some table skirting, and the contents of a bucket of greasy rags. All in less then three minutes! And we had to wait in there, until they all died off, which took three hours! Fortunately, they couldn't eat that radio thingie of hers, so people knew where we were, at least!"

"That couldn't have been fun." Monique commented, while tapping her fingers impatiently on the steering wheel, waiting for the light to change.

Bonnie snorted. "First hour, we couldn't look at each other, which is kind of silly, all things considered, we've been sharing the same locker room for how many years? But this was different, of course. Then she tried to complement me on my 'bravery', and I nearly bit her head off! Whoever said you can't fight when you're naked, did _not_ know what they were talking about! Completely verbal, of course! Things got worse when we got out. The designer who's dress I'd been wearing was mad at me for it being destroyed! Then Kim pointed out that if we hadn't trapped the things, he'd have lost his whole collection, and that cooled him off. Marginally! Of course by then, the show was over, and most of the crowd had gone home, and I'd missed my big chance, and I blamed Kim!"

"Do you still blame her?"

"Of Course not! I always calm down within a week or two, and recognize where the fault lay. Just not big on admitting it, or apologizing, if you hadn't noticed." She paused, "Then came late August. Junior had stood me up twice in a row, and my sisters were riding me about it at the Mall, when Kim came along...."

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"I mean, did you really think some Billionaire's son would get really serious about _you_?" Connie scoffed, as Bonnie stood sullenly gazing at the floor. They were just outside the mall's food court, where she'd had the misfortune to have her sisters happen upon her unexpectedly, and overhear her rant to Tara on her cellphone about Junior's failure to meet her, again!

"I mean, you might have been a momentary diversion, something to dally with, but a serious relationship?" Lonnie laughed aloud, "I mean, what would he see in you? In this family, I got the beauty..."

"And I got the brains!" Connie continued the routine. But before either could add 'And you got the leftovers', they were interrupted.

"Feh!" Came a voice from behind the two older Rockwallers. They stepped apart and turned to see Kim Possible standing there, feigning surprise at having been noticed. "Oh, sorry! Didn't mean to interrupt, really!" She said brightly.

Connie scowled briefly, then smirked. "Oh, Look! It's Bonnie's little friend, whatshername!" Bonnie cringed at her sister's obviousness.

Lonnie, though, frowned at the teen heroine. "What was that comment of yours about?"

Kim seemed puzzled momentarily, then smiled brightly. "Oh! That was nothing, it was just that...well, if you've got the natural beauty, how come you have to buy twice as much cosmetics as your sister?" She pointed at their respective bags showing the imprint of a famous beauty store.

"What! Oh, well, I need to....protect my looks more, that's all!" Lonnie stammered. Bonnie had sucked in her cheeks, and was biting down on the insides, doing her best not to make any noise that would make her their target again.

"_Excuse_ me?" Connie blurted out, face reddening.

Lonnie became more flustered then ever. "Oh! I didn't mean anything by that, Connie! Your looks are just more rugged then my....no, I meant...um, I'm not sure?"

"And then there's that 'brains' bit!" Kim continued, as if she hadn't noticed the effect of her first observation. "I mean, if the best you can do with them is pick on your sister..."

Connie sniffed. "Well! Look who's talking! I mean, you're hardly the brightest member of your family, are you?"

Kim's expression became thoughtful. "Well, you've got a point there. I mean, Dad's IQ is about 193. Mom's is around 191..." Connie began to look nervous, "And my brothers have tested out at about 187! But you know what?" Kim asked, smiling cheerfully.

"Oh, let me guess!" Lonnie replied sarcastically, "It doesn't matter, because you all love each other, right?"

Kim nodded enthusiastically. "Yup, that too! But, what I was actually going to say was....that leaves about a thirty point cushion between them and you guys for me to fit into!" she smiled at them cheerily.

Connie almost seemed to be breaking a sweat, and Bonnie was turning redder by the second trying not to laugh, but Lonnie looked outraged. "Thirty points! I think _not_! Tell her, Connie!"

"Oooo, look at the time!" Connie remarked, pointing at one of the mall clocks, "Have to meet with one of my professors in ten minutes on campus, about bonus credits! I _really _have to go! Later, Lonnie!" And she practically bolted for the nearest exit, leaving Lonnie standing there open mouthed. For about five seconds.

"Connie! Come back here! You need to tell this....What _is_ your IQ, anyway? Connie Rockwaller! Stop and talk to me this instant!" Her voice faded into the distance as she pursued her sister out of sight.

Kim stopped smiling as soon as they were out of sight, then looked at Bonnie with concern. "Better take a breath, Bonnie, you're entering the purple stage!"

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Monique's head was resting on the steering wheel, her body shaking with laughter. She'd had the sense to pull over early in Bonnie's story, or she'd probably have had an accident. Finally sitting back and wiping tears from her eyes, she gasped, "Oh, That's my Girl! So, she stood up for you, right? Probably because she hates bullies, a _whole_ lot!"

Bonnie, who had been grinning widely, sobered at once. "Yeah, and a week later, Junior shows up, and starts bemoaning how he'll never measure up to his Father's expectations as long as Kim Possible keeps thwarting him, and I went right back to hating her! I mean, how pathetic am I, that I value shallowness over....forget it! She did me a favor, from the goodness of her heart, and I threw it over for that..." She ran out of words, and made a sharp dismissive gesture. "Come on, let's go!"

Monique pulled away from the curb and continued their journey, but soon had to ask a question. "The day of the balloon fiasco? What made him freak out? Saw video of him sprinting across the parking lot, but what triggered it?"

Bonnie's face went from sullen to puzzled. "I'm actually not sure! A reporter asked him how he felt about the irony of Kim rescuing him, and he suddenly...freaked, like you said! Said something like, 'It's true! It's true! It's my karma! The old woman was right!' And then he split, and don't ask me what he was talking about, I have no idea at all!"

Monique shrugged. "No idea here, either, but it sounds like Junior! Here we are, Kim's house." She pulled to the curb a little distance from the Possibles' driveway. A party of four trick-or-treaters escorted by an adult were just arriving. While the woman stood on the curb, the four children, two of them about four, approached the door. Moments later, the two younger ones came shrieking back, but with wide smiles on their faces, and the older pair followed, giggling and examining the new additions to their booty.

Monique sighed in relief. "Well, Kim's on form, it looks like, nothing to worry about! Better not let her see me, it's always worse when they _don't_ need checking up on! Want to head home, or get a sundae?"

Bonnie looked at the four children heading towards the next house. "You know, I'd really like to go home, and hand out a little candy, myself! But thanks for the offer! Maybe we won't go back to business as usual come Monday, how about that?" She smiled at the other girl.

Monique returned the smile. "Works for me! Just give me some warning if you feel the old Bonnie returning, a sudden reappearance might get you a fat lip, just so you know!"

Bonnie nodded. "Fair Enough!"

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Having carried Kim into the guest bedroom, the three ninja-garbed women set her down gently on the bed, then removed the bulky packs they wore. After studying the room's layout briefly, the leader directed the other two to move some of the furnishings around in order to clear a large area of the floor. They then began unpacking their gear.

The leader took a long rolled-up object, set it on the floor, and unrolled it. Appearing at first like an air mattress, as it inflated it proved to be a much more complex design, with channels in it leading to sealable plastic chambers. The central part of it was covered in a fine mesh. When the leader adjusted a small control, this warmed up to body temperature. Four devices were then positioned at the corners of the inflatable operating table, and switched on, causing a hazy yellow glow to cover it's surface.

The three women then removed their hoods, gloves and tunics, only to reveal similar garb in white underneath, save for the gloves, which were replaced with latex-free surgical gloves. The white tunics also differed from the black by being short sleeved.

While the leader busied herself hooking several monitoring devices up to one of two laptops the women had brought, the other two undressed Kim. They then moved her carefully down to the mat, and covered her with a sterile sheet, leaving only her left shoulder bare. They also attached several sensors to her torso, as well as placing one on her right temple. A Blood Pressure Monitor was also hooked up. One woman then brought out a compact anesthesiology set-up, and placed a mask over Kim's face after making adjustments to the equipment, while watching Kim's vitals as displayed on the first laptop.

The leader studied the surgical scars on Kim's shoulders with a clinical eye, and nodded approval. She began to position two screen-like devices mounted on tripods, one aimed at her shoulder from the side, the other from the top, while watching the other laptop, on which they projected a 3-D image of Kim's shoulder. When she was satisfied with their placement, she typed in a command, and the view switched to an X-Ray perspective, clearly showing the internal structure of the joint.

Currently unoccupied, the third ninja chose to make a comment. "It is rather odd, to visit the same subject twice in such a short period of time, is it not?"

The second ninja rolled her eyes. "Well, since many of our subjects do not survive our first visit for very long, it may indeed be rare!" She paused, "I feel this visit was far less of a challenge, with only her present, however. Negotiating the security measures was a bit harder, though. Gaining access to her loft bedroom was slightly less difficult."

The third ninja nodded. "I must say, the security measures for this place are extremely unusual! Such odd ways to conceal some of the devices!"

"Well, one must remember the age of those who designed many of the measures. My favorite was the microwave laser disguised as a small dish antenna!" She frowned, "However, I noticed it was missing on this occasion."

"Perhaps," Their leader spoke for the first time, "It has something to do with the obvious structural repairs and fresh paint on the adjoining house's upper levels?" She fixed them both with a stern gaze. "Now, do you suppose we can proceed?" She had just finished marking three points on Kim's shoulder.

"_Hai!"_ They both responded, blushing slightly and bobbing their heads. The third ninja moved around to above Kim's head, and began to swab her shoulder gently with antiseptic. The second monitored the readouts of Kim's vitals.

The leader placed a new device near Kim. It was a rack holding three sets of paired metal cylinders, each pair connected to a thin flexible tube with a metal fitting on one end. The leader removed a long needle from it's sterile packaging, and after applying antiseptic to the fitting, screwed the needle onto it, then set it down in a small sterile plastic tray. She repeated the process with the other two tubes. Once that was done, she took up the first one, and removed the small safety cap from it. She then manipulated the valve on one of the cylinders carefully, until a small drop of liquid appeared at the needle's tip.

She pressed the tip into Kim's skin at one of the marks, while watching the laptop image to guide her as she firmly pushed the needle in until she was satisfied with it's placement. Again she repeated the process with both of the remaining needles. She next placed three small adhesive pads connected by wires to a device the size of an PDA on Kim, placing them so they roughly 'surrounded' the needles. She nodded to the second ninja, then began turn a knob on the device. Almost immediately, Kim began to stir, and a fine sweat broke out on her brow. The second ninja made adjustments to the anesthesia until she quieted again. "Is it painful?" The third ninja asked curiously.

"Merely irritating." The leader replied. On the second laptop, faint waves could be seen radiating out from the pads, passing through Kim's shoulder. The leader now began to manipulate the valves on the other three cylinders of the pairs. She studied the display, and soon a faint blue stain began to spread out from each of the needle tips. At first, it spread outwards, but then began to flow towards the place where Kim's labrum had been torn.

The third ninja was apparently unable to bear the silence. "I suppose this must be a separate client who has employed us, since this procedure is most certainly beneficial, while the first was not, and it would be pointless to undertake this one, with the other in place?"

The leader kept her attention solely fixed on the laptop, but her scowl was clearly visible to her associates. "The identity and motives of our clients are of no concern of yours, and in fact should not be a topic of conversation at all!" She stated, in a tone that discouraged any further discussion.

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Unavoidably distracted by her mother introducing her to a 'fine young man', Bernie had lost track of both Shego and 'Captain Morgan', but spotted the two Joes huddled with one of the servers, a young blond woman who earlier had been spoken to by Ollie Pittman about her attitude, which was far from polite and cheerful. _"Bet she had other plans for tonight, before financial reality, or her parents, or both, got in the way! But what are those two trying to talk her into?"_

"Bernadette, why is it I get the feeling you're not enjoying this party very much?" Bernie looked to her right to find Anne Possible beside her. Her gaze continued past the doctor to catch that of a local banker who was checking Anne out, especially how she filled out her slacks. He started guiltily when he saw Bernie looking at him, and rejoined the conversation between his wife and two of their friends, while Bernie shifted her attention back to Anne. "I'm not sure, actually! Guess I'm on edge for some reason. How's it for you and James? Enjoying yourselves?" Even as she asked, her attention went back to the conspirators, but right then they moved out of her sight, towards the kitchen.

Anne smiled slightly as she recognized certain symptoms. "Isn't there someone else who can worry about...okay, I'm curious, what's bothering you?" After a moment, Bernie told her about Shego, the two Joes, and Captain Morgan. "You say Shego disappeared after you told her about your brother, and she replied? Then something about Captain Morgan must have bothered her."

Bernie shrugged. "Maybe, but if someone were planning to prank my boss, or worse, I'd....." Her voice trailed off as she spotted one guest's costume. "Is that guy dressed as..." Anne turned to look where she was indicating. After a moment, she nodded. "I'd say he's dressed as Professor Dementor, basing his costume on Ron's description." She turned to see Bernie's mouth hanging open. Then the girl smacked herself in the side of the head. "Bernadette, what's wrong?"

After a moment of looking frustrated and anxious, Bernie suddenly had an inspiration. "Anne, do you by any chance have a way of contacting Betty Director?"

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Only part of the ground floor and the back patio and gardens were open to the party guests, and Shego went through all of it once trying to spot 'Captain Morgan' to get a good look at him herself, and confirm her suspicion. At the same time, she tried to maintain a semblance of casual behavior, not rushing too quickly, actually exchanging comments and greetings, without actually getting involved in any conversations.

She also kept her temper under control when someone splashed wine on her, since it was probably her own fault, anyway. A server offered her a linen napkin to wipe it off, and she cursorily brushed at it before proceeding with her search.

Her patience was tried even more when she confronted someone in a Hego costume. It suited the muscular wearer, but caused a scowl to pop up on her face. It also brought back a memory, unbidden, and undesired. The Halloween night when she left Team Go for good.

Having shaken off her City-appointed 'handlers', she was walking through a residential neighborhood, disguised against recognition by the people she passed. Then a young woman and her two children came along. Brother and sister, in Hego and Shego costumes, with flashing lights on the wristbands, to simulate the Go Glow. They'd gone up to the door of a house, and the woman who answered asked the inevitable, if rhetorical question, "My! Who have we here?"

The boy hadn't answered, merely held out his bag for a treat. But the girl had proudly piped up, "I'm Shego!" Shego had been within a moment's thought of turning around and going back. But she hadn't.

The sudden sight of a red tricorn hat with flowing plumes waving over the crowd dragged her back to the present. She moved smoothly through the crowd and followed her prey down a hallway into a small conservatory, with a piano shrouded with a dust cover sitting in the center. Like most of the rooms open to the party-goers, the remaining furniture had been removed, or pushed back against the walls.

'Captain Morgan' stood next to the piano, his back to her, which set off a warning bell in Shego's brain. She cast a quick look over her shoulder, but no one else was in the hall behind her. And the room itself had no hiding places. All the outer walls were glass, of course, though drapes blocked most of the view outside. Shego stepped into the room, wary of any trick. Before she could speak, however, she was pre-empted.

"My Dear Shego, what an expected pleasure!" Came the voice of Gemini, as he turned around to face her, hands down at his side. Which meant nothing, Shego knew, since he had a nasty little surprise concealed in the thumb of his cybernetic hand. He could stick it out and fire a small dart tipped with the poison-of-the-week, if he chose to. It wasn't very accurate, however, and Shego was certain she could dodge it, if necessary.

"Think you stole that line from somewhere, Shel!" Shego responded. "I hear you've been looking for me and the Doc for some reason?"

"Oh, please! We both know what business I have with you! You shot down one of my aircraft over the Atlantic, Shego, and you can't deny it!"

Shego feigned puzzlement. "Over the Atlantic? Last time I crossed over that, I had a snoot full of Dementor's mutant pollen, and I couldn't have shot at myself with any chance of success! Took me forty-eight hours to recover from it! Almost paid Dementor back, though, but Kim Possible stopped me!"

A moment's uncertainty appeared in Gemini's eye. Then he slowly nodded, "I suppose it was a bit suspicious that the camera on the drone happened to catch what appeared to be your plasma coming at it. Could have been faked, if someone accessed the video feed." He shrugged, "Not that it matters, however! It doesn't change my plans at all. I've been planning to show you independent villains that operating on your own, rather then serving a greater evil, was a bad career path to take!"

Shego saw his thumb move, and sidestepped quickly, igniting her plasma as she did. But he didn't use the thumb-gun, he just watched her warily. She in turn was about to take the offensive, when something went wrong in her chest. Her vision suddenly blurred, and her knees became suddenly weak. She staggered, and tried to regain her equilibrium, but her problems worsened instead. A tightness began to grip her chest, and she dropped to her knees. Her plasma went out, even as she fell over sideways. "Wha...?" The Conservatory had a hardwood floor, which Shego's head met with a solid 'thump'.

"Ah, most satisfactory!" Gemini moved over until one of his boots filled her vision. He apparently stood studying her for a minute, but Shego couldn't even move her head to look up at him. "Well, I must go see to your employer! As for you, minion to deal with minion! Goodbye, Shego!" His boot vanished from her sight, and she heard, and felt, his footsteps as he strode away.

Shego lay there, twitching spasmodically. She had a feeling her own feelings of panic were contributing to her problems, but she couldn't suppress them. She didn't know what was happening to her, and fear of the unknown was something she wasn't completely immune to.

Another set of footsteps approached, and she was nudged over onto her back. In the process, she suffered a wardrobe malfunction, a fact reflected in the eyes of the man in the Cyrano de Bergerac costume staring down at her. "Tsk, tsk! What a crime scene photo that will make! Perhaps I should be a gentleman, and tuck that back in? But no, leave the body as it lies, I always say." He knelt down and leaned close, looking her in the eye. "I'm Agent Alpha. An oft-used title, but I intend to be the Alpha who outlives all the others, by a wide margin!" He looked towards the hallway as a raucous burst of laughter echoed down it. After a moment's tense expectation, he relaxed, and looked down at her again.

"As to your problem? A little something our scientists, properly motivated, came up with! To keep it short, whenever you use your plasma, it fouls up your autonomous nervous system, throwing your heart rate, among other things, out of rhythm, and it gets worse the longer you have your plasma on, and the more intense you make it. And getting it back in rhythm is a bit of a problem, isn't it? Well, now you know. And I don't have time for more of an explanation, I'm afraid, so let's get straight to the killing, shall we?"

Alpha pulled a stiletto out of his boot top. "No point wasting time with any misdirection, is there? No one's going to believe you committed suicide or anything, are they? I think a straight jab through the throat and into the floor should be....gak!" A solid thump preceded his eyes popping wide, then crossing as he keeled over sideways.

"Shego!" Sliding her revolver back into it's holster, Bernie dropped to her knees beside the pale thief. "You've got to relax, calm down, you're pushing your heart too hard, if it's out of rhythm! It may shut down, and CPR is not fun, when you're on the receiving end!" She fished her cell phone from her pocket, and keyed it to the walkie-talkie function. "This is Bernadette! I need a security guard in the conservatory, and call 911, we need paramedics here, now!" She re-adjusted Shego's dress to cover her decently, then checked her pulse. "Calm down, calm down! Can you even hear me? Shego?"

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Betty Director sat in her office, discussing the day's activities with her aide, Abby Hogan, a fiftyish blond who was still quite a knockout, and a twenty year veteran of fieldwork, before taking her current position when Betty became head of GJ North America. They had just finished the supervillain status update when Betty's intercom buzzed. "Yes, Grace?"

"Call for you from Anne Possible, Ma'am!"

Betty's eyebrow rose. "Really? Put her through, Grace." She exchanged glances and shrugs with Abby before she picked up the phone. "Anne? What's up? Is there a problem with Kim?"

"No, as far as I know, she's safe at home, passing out candy." Sounds in the background gave Betty a hint where Anne might be, just before she confirmed it.

"I'm at the Barr Halloween Party."

"Oh? Well, if this is a social invitation, I'm afraid I have to decline."

"That's too bad. Drew Lipsky is here, and your family may already be represented!" Anne replied, just as the sounds diminished.

It took only a few seconds for the coin to drop. "I'll be right there!" Betty snapped. Abby had a second phone in her hand. "Alert! I want the rapid response squad waiting for Doctor Director in the hangar right now!" By the time she put her phone down, she was alone in the office.

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The rear patio was flanked by two mazes consisting of eight foot hedges, and bounded by the currently drained swimming pool on it's outer edge. A handful of people had wandered outdoors despite the chilly evening air, some to try to recover their wits by exposing themselves to it.

Doctor Drakken strolled among the hedges, accompanied by one of the servers, a young blond woman carrying a nearly depleted tray of _hors d'oeuvre_, from which Drakken helped himself to a _spanikopita_ as the young woman talked.

"Was that true, what you told that woman earlier? About changing your ways, after those stories were written about you?" She asked, taking a quick look around to see if anyone else was in sight.

"Oh yes! When one is faced with such a reflection, one cannot fail to see one's flaws. I've done my best to correct them since, though the 'old' me still pops out, once in a while. I'm not the only one, either. One or two others have changed their ways, probably after reading Ronald's accounts." He picked the last tidbit, a vegetarian egg roll, off the tray. "You need to re-stock, I'm afraid, my dear."

"Oh! In that case, can you hold this tray for me for a moment, I need to adjust something!" She handed the tray to Drakken.

From the shadow of a nearby hedge, Anne Possible frowned as she watched the byplay between the two. "Well, this is more interesting then the conversations inside!" James whispered from just behind her shoulder. "I was causing quite a few glazed stares in there!"

"Well.." Anne replied, never taking her eyes off the pair in front of her, "You didn't have to play to your character, you know! You could have admitted that you actually understood the engineering difficulties involved in that renovation project!"

"Ah, but then I may have been forced to remain involved in that discussion! Sometimes I really appreciate Ron's portrayal of me, when I can turn it to my advantage!"

"Shhhhh!"

As Drakken took the tray, the young woman looked upwards. "At least we have a beautiful clear night." Drakken looked upwards as well.

Anne's eyes narrowed. As soon as Drakken took his eyes off her, the girl took hold of her blouse with both hands, and appeared about to rip it open. But then a voice from out of Anne's line of sight interrupted her.

"Doctor Drakken, prepare to meet your doom!"

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A double cliffhanger? Afraid so. Didn't plan it that way, but felt like posting it this way, so there! No, just didn't want too long a chapter, and I'm a terrible judge of word counts in advance.

Anyway, Please Read and Review.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

If I got the Rockwaller sisters backwards last chapter, as far as which had the 'brains' and which the 'looks', I apologize.

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**Still Halloween, the Barr Estate...**

One of the first floor rooms in the mansion not open to the party crowd was the den. It was, however, the scene of a meeting between Ed Barr, his son Frank, Joe Geary Senior, and Bennett Rockwaller. Cigars were lit, brandy poured, and politics discussed. Particularly the only candidate not present for the get together.

"Let me get this straight," Bennett Rockwaller was saying, "He doesn't campaign, he doesn't make a speech, or a single public appearance, and he has a share of the committed voters equal to ours? How can that be?"

Ed Barr rolled his cigar between his fingers as he considered his reply. "Obviously, the antics you two have gotten up to have caused a loss of faith in either of you as candidates. They're also a little tired of Joe's unfulfilled promises and absentee Police Chief. And Ben, getting caught trying to fix a beauty pageant four years ago wasn't very smart, even if no money changed hands, or was even meant to."

Both men glowered sullenly for a moment, before Geary spoke up. "How come he isn't behind bars? Tell me that!"

"Lack of a prosecutable case, mainly." Frank Barr replied, "After their early encounters with Kim Possible _and_ Global Justice, those two smartened up. They targeted the private sector, and picked their targets carefully. Most of their victims had reasons, legitimate and otherwise, not to pursue criminal charges and/or public trials. For instance, the first time Kim Possible thwarted them, the nature of the item they recovered was revealed in the press, and caused an immediate rise in the stock of the company involved. But the Board of Directors, who were planning to exploit the revelation for their own profit, weren't ready for it yet, so instead of gaining full control of the company, they lost control entirely, and now most of them are unemployed, or working elsewhere. Lipsky takes things like that into consideration nowadays before going after something."

Rockwaller frowned. "What about the Government?"

Frank sipped his brandy and smirked as he replied, "Contrary to what you may have read, they never walked into a Top Secret lab and announced themselves. If Shego has been inside any such facility, she's left no trace behind. So, no proof, no prosecution. And nobody wants to pick up the tab to extradite her just for questioning, since they probably wouldn't get anything out of her, anyway."

A knock on the door caused a halt to conversation. A servant stuck his head in, and addressed Ed Barr. "Sir, there's been a disturbance. Miss Bernadette called security and asked for someone to come to the conservatory, as well as requesting paramedics be called. But when the security man got there, he only found an unconscious man on the floor, and no sign of Miss Bernadette! He did find a very real and lethal looking stiletto which appears to belong to the man he found there, so he handcuffed the man, and summoned the police."

Big Ed snuffed out his cigar and strode towards the door. The other men followed suit. "I assume a full search is on for my daughter?" Ed asked the servant.

"Of course, Sir! All security men have been...." The servant was interrupted by the sound of explosions, and the house shook slightly.

Ed looked around in consternation. "What the Hell was that?"

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**Minutes earlier...**

"Doctor Drakken, prepare to meet your doom!" Gemini stood about twenty feet from Drakken, having stepped around the end of one hedge where it ended at the swimming pool area. His bionic hand was rising, ring finger extended, as he spoke. As his target spun around to face him, a puff of compressed air sent a tracking bug flying towards Drakken. _Who_ still held the serving tray in his hands, now flat against his chest.

_Ping! _The flying bug struck the tray, and ricocheted back towards Gemini on a high trajectory. But the WWEE leader didn't notice at first, already into his next portentous announcement.

"And now my wrath will fall upon...wait a minute, where'd that go?"

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The three 'toy soldiers', better known as WWEE Agents Sigma 3, 5, and 8, were now standing roughly seventy yards from the confrontation. When a loud tone sounded inside their masks, they pivoted and raised their 'muskets', aiming them high, on slightly diverging bearings. When they pulled the triggers, the barrels of each split into four sections, which fell away, revealing a foot long rocket beneath. Four small fins sprang out from their bases, and their motors ignited, as the three agents apprehensively waited to see if their costumes were actually fire-resistant, unlike their colleagues in Tokyo, who had been no danger to Kim and Ron after launching their missiles, since they were too busy trying to extinguish several hot spots on their business suits.

In this case, however, the launches were flawless. And followed immediately by Gemini's panicked voice filling their ears....

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Agent Alpha's hat had provided some protection from the blow to his head, and he recovered consciousness to find himself handcuffed, with a security man standing over him, talking on his cellphone.

"Yes, honey, I know I promised to play 'Kim Possible and the evil Doctor Lecher' with you tonight, but this might be a big break for me, I may have caught a real live criminal! So, you keep the handcuffs and the hot oil ready, and as soon as I'm...yiieee!" Agent Alpha swept the man's legs from under him, bringing the unfortunate fellow's head into violent contact with the hardwood floor. Not bothering to finish the man off, Alpha shot to his feet and dashed from the room. Disposing of the handcuffs would take but a minute, then he had to find and assist his leader....

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Drakken's brows knitted in a frown as he considered Gemini's question. "Hmmm, not completely sure! Did you perhaps feel anything fall into one of your boots?"

Gemini looked down at his boot tops in alarm. "My Boots? No...maybe! I.." He raised his right wrist close to his face, shoved back the lace cuff of his coat, and bellowed "Abort Launch! I repeat, Abort LAUNCH!" As he said this, he turned around to face the direction from which the three Sigma squad members would be firing, and saw the three missiles already rising into the air. As he did, Drakken spotted something small and golden clinging to one of the plumes of Gemini's hat. Turning to the dumbstruck server, he took her arm. "My Dear, this is not a place where we want to be standing in a few moments!" And he pulled her with him, back towards the house, almost bumping into the Possibles as he did.

The missiles were designed in this case to rise high in the air, before tipping over so their seeker heads could acquire their targets. That gave Gemini some time to try and survive. He opened a small keypad on the back of his bionic hand, and typed in a four-digit code. "Self-Destruct! Wait, why aren't they...It's the same as my ATM PIN, I know it! Wait, maybe...PEPE! No, Arrrrghhh!" He dropped to the ground besides the swimming pool, and began tugging his left boot off. As he did, his hat fell into the pool itself. "Which boot, Doctor Drakken? Which one?!" He screamed frantically.

He pulled off the left boot, and pitched it at Drakken, then began with the right, as the missiles reached the apogee of their flight, and tipped over, then began heading straight down towards him. The right boot came free, and he flung that as far away as he could, this time towards the opposite side of the pool, and then jumped to his stocking feet to run. Just as the three missiles, homing on his hat, slammed into the empty pool behind him. Partially shielded by the edge of the pool, Gemini was nevertheless thrown forward onto his face.

Drakken pulled the girl down just before the blast, more or less intentionally shielding her. Both Doctors Possible also went flat on the ground, having some experience with unexpected explosions, as did the more alert guests who were standing around in the more open area outside the patio doors. In any event, none were hurt by the blast, though many were shaken up.

Doctor Drakken got back to his feet, helping the girl up. She looked at him in awe. "You saved my life!" Then her face scrunched up as if she was going to cry, and she dashed away into the maze. Almost immediately voices came from the spot where she'd disappeared, followed by the sound of not one, but two loud slaps being delivered. Joe Barr stumbled into view, one hand clasped to a bright red cheek.

James helped Anne up, and watched as Drakken cautiously approached the fallen Gemini. "Well, not so tough now, are we?" Drakken taunted his fallen foe, "Looks like this night hasn't gone too well for you, has it? I suppose the proper thing to do is to call up your sister, and have her come and collect you."

"I don't think so, Doctor!" Agent Alpha stepped out of the hedges behind Drakken, a small but lethal looking gun in his hand. "I think I'm about to redeem myself in my leader's eyes, unless of course, I've already earned his favor by eliminating your sidekick!"

Drakken scowled, as Gemini began to stir at his feet. "Shego? What have you done to her?"

Alpha actually flinched at the look in his target's eyes, but recovered quickly, and smirked evilly. "Hopefully, killed her! And now, you as well!" As he raised his gun, however, there came a sharp _crack!_ Alpha cried out in pain as his gun went flying away, and he seized his wrist in his other hand. Drakken turned and raised an eyebrow. "Why, James! Never knew you had such a talent in your repertoire!"

Smiling, James Possible began coiling his whip back up. "Well, never could beat brother Slim at roping, or riding, or the like, so I had to find something to be better at! Lots of practice, and I became...look out!"

Alpha had made a quick move, and another weapon had appeared out of his left sleeve. He seemed to hesitate in his choice of target, James or Drakken, and the hesitation cost him. Yet another sharp _crack_, and he howled again, now shaking both hands in pain. Drakken's eyebrows rose even higher. "Anne? I assume James must have given you lessons?"

Anne Possible smiled disingenuously back at him. "Of course! Where else would I have learned such a skill?" She replied archly. Then she looked towards Drakken's feet. "Careful, Drew, I think he's awake!"

Even as Drakken moved quickly away from him, Gemini sprang to his feet with surprising agility. And promptly stepped on something sharp along the base of one hedge. But even as he hopped on one foot, he managed to bring his right wrist up near his mouth. "Immediate pick-up!" He snapped. He turned towards Drakken. "This isn't over!" He snarled. Above and behind him, he heard the sounds of an aircraft descending. He backed towards the pool, expecting the aircraft to hover there, as the only open space big enough for a WWEE hoverjet to fit. Even as he did, however, he heard a message coming over his radio. "Sir! We can't come get you, you've remotely shut off our engines! You remember, your insurance against being left behind?"

Gemini stopped, looked at the keypad on his hand, and grimaced. Then he slowly turned to look at the aircraft he'd almost backed into, and found himself looking into his sister's grimly smiling face. "Why, Hello, Sheldon!" She greeted him.

Agent Alpha decided it was time to practice discretion. He took a step back, then spun about to run away. But two whips lashed out, catching him around his right ankle, and he pitched forwards in an awkward sprawl.

"Oops!" Anne Possible winced. "Sorry, Dear, I guess that was 'my Bad', should have gone for his left ankle!"

James patted her on the arm. "That's okay, Sweetheart, we don't get as much practice at catching villains as Kim and Ron."

Betty Director and a squad of GJ Agents poured off the hoverjet, surrounding and securing both Gemini and Alpha. "How many missiles were fired?" Betty asked the crowd that was gathering. Responses ranged from one to a dozen, when they specified a number at all.

"Three, Betty! Just three!" Anne called to her over the crowd. Recognizing her, Betty nodded and turned to her agents. "There's three more around somewhere, probably in costume!" The sounds of approaching emergency vehicles could be clearly heard, as the Middleton PD and Rescue Squad came in response to the earlier calls.

"They're probably the three toy soldiers!" Betty turned to see Bernie coming through the crowd. "Shego was here, too, but she suddenly experienced a miraculous recovery when she heard your ship arriving, and took off!"

Betty nodded. "You heard her! Try and find three men dressed as...toy soldiers! I assume you mean the 'Babes in Toyland' kind?" Bernie nodded. Betty rolled her eye, "Wonderful! Costumes like that could have anything on underneath them! Probably find just the costumes discarded somewhere!" She sighed, then looked at her now secured brother. "Well, on balance, the night's gone all right."

"Well, except for some damage to my swimming pool!" Ed Barr responded, pushing through the crowd. He looked at Drakken. "I understand this had something to do with you?"

Drakken shrugged, and gestured towards Gemini. "He seemed to think so! Haven't a clue, myself, what might have motivated him to attack me in such an overblown fashion!" That drew a suspicious look from Doctor Director, but she remained silent, as Drakken continued, "In any event, I apologize for the disruption of your party, Sir!"

Ed Barr studied him for a moment, before nodding graciously, "Well, there's usually some kind of excitement at my parties, but usually my offspring are behind it! As long as no one was hurt...well, except the villains, No harm done! Pool needed work,anyway!" He turned to the crowd. "Everyone who does not need to talk to the police, please let's go back inside, and get out of their way!"

It took a little more urging then that, but the crowd eventually returned to the warmer confines of the house, now with more to gossip about. Soon only a handful of witnesses, the GJ Agents, the Possibles, and Drakken remained outside in the chill evening air.

Betty regarded the two Doctors Possible with a wry grin. "What are you two up to? Planning on filling in until Kim gets back on top?"

Anne shrugged, grinning. "Why, what do you think of the idea?"

"Don't give up your day jobs!" Betty replied with mock severity. Then she looked at Drakken with the real thing. "And you say you had no idea Gemini was after you?"

Drakken smiled disingenuously, and shrugged. "How would I have known? You don't think he sent me an advance warning, do you?" Then he turned to Bernie, who was standing with her father's arm around her, looking a little wan. "Was Shego all right when you last saw her?"

"In my opinion, no." Bernie replied, "But she definitely wanted to avoid being around when the law arrived, and I couldn't stop her from leaving!" She looked up at her father. "I'm feeling a bit tired. If the police don't need a statement tonight, I'm going to head to the guest house."

"We don't need anything from you, Miss Barr." Doctor Director told her, "The local police may, but they'll probably be willing to wait until tomorrow."

"You get some sleep, sweetheart." Big Ed told Bernie, giving her a kiss on the forehead. She gave him a quick buss on the cheek, then turned to the Possibles. "Well, this wasn't our typical party, I promise! Hope you enjoyed yourself."

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world!" James replied cheerfully. Anne rolled her eyes, then addressed Big Ed. "It was a novel experience, to say the least! But, we really need to get home, and see how our daughter is doing, I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not!" He replied, "I hope she's better soon, we need that young lady up and about! And this one to do what she said, and get to bed!" He squeezed Bernie, who rolled her eyes. "I am, I am! 'Night, Dad!" She waved to the others as she departed.

"By the way, Doctor Director," Drakken spoke up, "Would you know anyone who'd be interested in the job of Chief of Police for Middleton?"

Betty's jaw dropped momentarily in shock, before she snapped it shut, and glared around at her subordinates, who immediately found other things to occupy themselves with. Her expression shifted to suspicion as it came back to Drakken. "What are you talking about?"

Drakken spread his arms wide. "Just what I said! If by chance I win the election Tuesday, I certainly intend to replace the current Chief with someone who knows how to do his job properly. And choose a good deputy mayor, as well. I have no illusions about remaining in the post for long, Doctor Director, but I intend to actually do a good job while I hold it, believe it or not! So, any retired GJ people, or other candidates about, that you know of?"

Betty regarded him with continued suspicion, mixed with curiosity. "I'll have to think about that, Mister Lipsky, then get back to you."

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The head ninja used one hand to hold a cotton swab in place where she had just removed the last of the three needles from Kim's shoulder, while turning one of the scanning screens around to point at the girl's head with the other. One of her two colleagues was turning down the bed, while the other collected Kim's nightclothes. "I wonder how likely it will be that our visit actually remains unnoticed?" The second ninja mused aloud.

The third ninja chose to answer. "Her parents will find her in bed, and the candy distributed, so they will see nothing suspicious. Basically, it is a matter of whether or not Miss Possible herself believes that for some reason, possibly related to her recent problems, she lost track of the evening. It is unlikely, but the client only requested we make some effort to delay her realization that anything has occurred, but will understand if we fail."

The second ninja nodded thoughtfully. "A peculiar request, considering the beneficial nature of our actions."

"More peculiar," Began their leader, studying the new readouts on the laptop, "Is the absence of any sign of our first visit. The nanotech we introduced into Miss Possible's ears is gone."

"What! Was it activated?" The third ninja blurted out, before the answer popped into her own head. Before she could answer her own question and save herself some embarrassment, the second ninja beat her to it.

"Though she is not the most important celebrity in the world, I believe if Miss Possible had actually lapsed into a coma for any reason, it might have been mentioned in the news!" She stated smugly, then turned to the leader, and asked what turned out to be a dumb question of her own. "Will we inform the client that his requested work was apparently discovered, and undone?"

The leader breathed a deep sigh, then fixed the questioner with a stern gaze. "And how do we inform said client _without_ revealing that we had performed a second, equally confidential, visit to Miss Possible?"

The second ninja flinched, and her body language betrayed her discomfort, before answering, "Obviously, we cannot." She indicated the bed. "I have prepared the bed, Leader."

"Oh, have you?" was the reply, with just enough sarcasm in it to tell it's target that she had not in fact completed that task, "Why are there extra pillows on that bedside chair?" When the second ninja failed to produce an answer, the leader continued, "Arrangements must be made to discourage the patient from moving in her sleep in such a way as to cause damage to the injured joint!" She stood up, and took up the pillows, "Now, pay attention! I will test you on this later!" She demonstrated the proper arrangement, with her colleagues paying rapt attention.

"There! She will be slightly elevated, and discouraged from rolling over. Though the human body has some instinctual means of avoiding any movement dangerous to itself, it is not always reliable! Now, let's put Miss Possible to bed, if you please!"

The two assistants dressed Kim in her nightclothes and tucked her in with all the care that regular nurses, or her own mother, would employ. "Was there not a stuffed animal, the last time?" The second ninja asked, and a brief, fruitless search was made for Pandaroo, before they decided correctly that it was still in Kim's regular room. The leader then peeled a small patch off some adhesive backing, and applied it to Kim's forehead. It blended perfectly with her skin. "How long will it stay there?" The third ninja asked curiously.

"It's function should be fulfilled within twelve hours." The leader replied, "After which any contact with common bath soap will cause it to come free, and disintegrate. The backing, in any case. The remainder will not be noticed. Now, while I place the other item in the parents' room, begin to clean up in here. I will be back quickly." The other two nodded in acknowledgment.

They then proceeded to collect and pack all their equipment, and conduct a sweep for any telltale signs of their visit. Before moving all the furnishings back to their original positions, however, the leader repeated the sweep, and found the safety cap from one of the needles next to one of the bed's legs. She held it up for the others to see, and they bowed their heads. They then put their dark clothing back on. The room was then put back in order, and the trio exited again, moving to the front of the house cautiously.

The fourth ninja signaled them that all was clear, the front door closed. The leader approached her, and eyed the bowls holding the treats. "Not all gone yet, I see." she commented.

Removing the sling from her arm, the fourth ninja nodded sharply, "That is true, there are a few left..." She shuffled her feet a bit, "And I was wondering..."

The leader rolled her eyes, and lamented, "Why do I have to get girls with sweet tooths? Very well, but no more then two each!" Each of her three subordinates promptly collected two treats each, leaving just one in the bowls. The leader eyed it briefly, then shrugged and stashed it in one of her own pockets. The fourth ninja extinguished the outside light to signal any trick-or-treaters left that the house was closed for business. Not that there was much likelihood of any still being about, it being nearly eleven at this point.

Leaving a minimum of lighting on, the four women slipped silently out of the house again, only ten minutes before the Tweebs returned, loaded down with some booty of their own. "Man! We went way past our curfew! Glad Mom and Dad aren't here!" Jim enthused.

"And Kim must have gone to bed already!" Tim replied, grinning. Then he sobered, "But maybe we'd better make sure. I mean, with what's happened to her lately..." Leaving a token amount of their loot for the evening where their parents would find it, and putting the rest in their rooms for later concealment, they snuck into the guest room to check on Kim, and found her apparently sleeping peacefully. They then withdrew just as quietly, only to hear the front door opening. Just as silently as their unknown visitors, but with much greater haste, they slipped back into their own room.

"Well, that was an interesting evening." Anne Possible smiled at her husband's casually delivered remark. "Oh, yes, interesting would be the word, dear. By the way, any critique on my technique?"

James' brow knitted in a puzzled frown momentarily. "Technique? Oh! Well, perhaps a little too much wrist action, we can always work on that, if you think it might come in handy again?"

Anne seemed to consider the question carefully. "Hmmm. Well, you never can tell, after all, we do specialize in the unexpected around here!" She suddenly yawned widely, and blushed. "Oh! Guess I have had a long day! I'll look in on Kim, you check the boys." She leaned closer to him and lowered her voice, "And don't let them know we saw them arrive home, let's see how honest they're feeling tonight."

James nodded and headed upstairs to the boys' room. Cracking the door, he let a little light fall across the beds. Both of the twins seemed to be asleep. After a moment's consideration, James opened the door and entered. Walking over to Jim's bed, he paused, then swept the covers off the sleeping boy. Whereas the boy's pajama top was on, he still wore his jeans and socks. "Well, Well! What have we here?"

Both boys eyes popped open. "Busted!" Tim commented sourly. "But we weren't home late, Dad! We got home over an hour ago, we just forgot the time!" Jim added.

"Really? And I have both of your words on that?" James asked, one eyebrow raised. Both boys met his gaze for a moment, then dropped their eyes. "I see. Well, we'll talk about this tomorrow morning, your mother and I are too tired to deal with it now." He turned as if to leave, then turned back, "Besides, we'd like to hear any reports of any delayed-action 'tricks' that may have occurred in the meantime!" Then he left, as the twins exchanged nervous looks behind him.

Anne was quietly ascending the stairs as he emerged, and he wrapped an arm around her as they headed for their room. "How is she?" He murmured.

"Out like a light. All the candy is gone, so she had a busy evening it seems. Must have worn her out." Anne responded in a whisper. James nodded tiredly, and the two entered their room and closed the door behind them.

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When Bernadette Barr had entered the guest house on the Barr estate, she'd sagged against the door and just leaned there, shaking her head. Dropping her hat and gunbelt on a chair, she headed into the single bedroom. "I can't believe I did what I did tonight!" She said aloud, as she beheld the room's other occupant.

Shego sprawled inelegantly on the bed, in almost exactly the same position Bernie had left her in when she'd gone back to see what had happened by the pool. Her eyes were open, and tracked Bernie as she moved into the room. The look on her face was pure misery, with perhaps just a touch of fear.

"I should have taken you to a hospital, or turned you over to Global Justice! Why didn't I?" Bernie groused as she sat down on the bed and took Shego's pulse. "You'd better give me a good reason not to change my mind now, some reason to believe what you said in the conservatory! You said letting you be taken would amount to a death sentence, or life sentence, what did you mean by that? Global Justice isn't like that!"

Shego wet her lips, swallowed, then spoke in a surprisingly meek voice. "Betty wouldn't have liked catching me tonight."

Bernie looked at her dubiously. "Oh, really? And why would that be?"

"Don't get me wrong, if Betty thought the right people had a solid case against me or the Doc, she'd storm the lair with or without Possible along, in a heartbeat! But, right now, none of the 'right' people have a case that works without a confession from one of us, and no one's getting one of those from me _or_ Doctor D without torture, believe it or not!"

"Who are the 'wrong' people?" Bernie asked curiously. She felt Shego's forehead, and scowled.

Shego snorted. "The kind that can hold you without trial indefinitely, the kind who have a much more limited view of civil and human rights, that's who! Betty honestly doesn't want to turn me over to any of them, but she would have to if I fell into her custody, under any circumstances. Again, if the US, or any other country had a good case, she'd bust us, but we're very careful in our choice of...activity. And I don't leave glowing claw marks at the scene of any of my..activities, contrary to popular myth!"

Bernie studied her face for a moment. "You switched your emphasis from 'we' to 'I' for part of that. You're the only one at risk, aren't you?"

Shego was silent for a moment. Then she looked away as she spoke. "That's my job, to take the risks. The risks outside the lair, that is!" She grinned briefly, but it faded. Then after a moment's silence, she muttered a curse under her breath. Then louder, "What did that bastard do to me, and how long will it last? Why can't I MOVE!"

Bernie stood up and went to the nearby dresser. She opened one drawer, and removed two sets of pajamas. "I don't know, and it's beyond my level of expertise, that's for sure!" She returned to the bed and began to sit Shego up. "Let's get you ready..."

"I don't need help! I don't need..." Shego raised one arm sluggishly and pushed at Bernie, but her effort was feeble. "Why can't I move!" She repeated, and there was moisture on her cheeks.

Bernie was too tired and stressed to maintain her normal humor. "Listen! You're not going anywhere tonight, unless it's to a hospital, get it?" She snapped, "I'm not happy with the situation either, get it? But I _am_ a professional, and you're at least to some degree an invalid at the moment. So you do as you're told for right now, understand?" The stern look she gave Shego got through to the weakened thief. She didn't acknowledge the situation, but she didn't resist as Bernie began to get her out of her party dress.

She did break down enough to request a trip to the bathroom before going to sleep. When Bernie helped her to walk there, she noted that Shego's legs seemed to be strong enough, but she leaned heavily on Bernie going to and from the bathroom. Once Shego was clad in one set of pajamas and settled in the bed, Bernie took the other set into the bathroom to change. Shego lay in the bed muttering and cursing quietly, once wiping tears of frustration from her eyes. She did take up her wristwatch, and use a concealed communicator to send a coded signal back to the lair. She'd barely finished when Bernie emerged from the bathroom, and apprehensively approached the bed.

Shego gave her a quizzical look. "Something wrong? I don't bite, or anything!" Bernie flushed, grinning sheepishly as she shook her head, then sat on the side of the bed and busied herself removing her prosthesis. "Not your problem. Just that this is the first time I've slept with somebody since I lost my foot, and it just suddenly felt awkward."

"Oh." Shego responded with a slight nod, then she frowned, "You and that other woman? Why did you both lose limbs? Sorry to seem morbid, but..."

"Because they were amateurs!" Bernie cut in with asperity, "That's basically all there is to it. Crude, brutal amateurs at interrogation. They only questioned us each once, and they did something different with each of us. Half of us just had bad luck, that's all." She slid under the covers, but kept her back turned to Shego at first. But after a few minutes' silence, she rolled onto her back and looked at the thief. "Shego, when you first got your powers, did they scare you?"

Shego's head snapped around, more then a touch of hostility on her face.. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, this guy tonight gave you a new reason to be scared of them. So, maybe your problem right now isn't physical, that's all." Bernie held her gaze steady as she said this.

The emotions that ran across Shego's face ranged from outrage to incredulity to...perhaps a touch of real fear. "Are you...you trying to tell me I'm scared? Too scared to move?" she blurted out harshly.

"'Paralyzed with Fear' might be going too far, but yes, you just might be dealing with an old fear from your past coming back on you." Bernie replied honestly.

Shego was speechless, and clamped her mouth shut after a moment of gaping uselessly. Her gaze went from angry to thoughtful, however, before she rolled over to put her back to Bernie. "Thanks for not turning me in." She muttered, "Goodnight!"

Bernie studied her back for a moment, then sighed and switched out the light. "Goodnight, Shego."

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Doctor Drakken walked into his lair, checking in with his temporary head of security. He told the man about the capture of Gemini, but cautioned him to stay alert. For one thing, Betty Director had to hang onto her brother, which might not occur. For another, in the expectation that he _would_ escape, some of his subordinates might try and gain favor with him, possibly by trying to kill or capture Drakken themselves. Assured that security would not be relaxed, Drakken wandered into the main chamber of the lair.

Checking his computer, he found the signal from Shego. A simple code, it indicated she was all right, and would be coming back on her own. That took a load off his mind. He decided against any further activity, he didn't have the kind of buzz that made him want to work all night. So, he started up the passage to his own quarters, dimming the lights behind him as he went.

No sooner had he left the area, then something crept out from beneath one of his workbenches, and dashed silently across the floor to a vent. There, the young skunk tapped on the grill twice with it's claws, and the grill swung upwards, allowing it through, then closing again behind it.

Moving along the ventilation shaft a short distance, it again tapped lightly, this time on one panel which rang hollowly. It slid to one side, and the skunk entered a natural fissure behind it. The panel closed behind it, moments before one of Doctor Drakken's vent-sweeping robots rolled around the corner, just missing spotting the young animal.

Working it's way through the fissure and a small burrowed tunnel, the skunk entered a larger chamber. Rufus was waiting patiently in the middle of it, surrounded by several miniaturized electronic devices. The young skunk regarded Rufus hopefully. Rufus then tapped a button on one of the devices, and waited patiently. A green light finally went on, indicating that Wade Load was getting a satisfactory signal from the video bug the skunk had just planted. Drakken's internal sensors were set to sound an alarm if they detected Rufus' distinctive form, but as of yet, other small animals didn't register.

Rufus then worked a combination on a small locker, and took out a Skunk Treat, the ingredients of which Rufus preferred not to know, and handed it to his 'agent'. The young skunk took it and scurried off down another tunnel. Rufus dug out some nachos and began to munch on them as he relaxed. At this rate, they'd have Drakken's lair re-wired within the week. Provided Wade could complete a supply run tomorrow. Rufus was all out out cheese, and there was just so much you could expect a Naked Mole Rat to do without proper sustenance.

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Okay, that last bit of whimsy may not belong in this story, but so what?

Next chapter, we'll see how several people start Saturday Morning, beginning with Ron, since morning comes earlier in Germany.

Please Read and Review.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

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Ron crept stealthily into the main laboratory in Professor Dementor's latest lair, which for once did not have the castle motif he had become so fond of lately. Of course, those were few and far between, and Kim and Ron had visited most of them, leaving the need for some repair and refurbishment of those premises before they could be occupied again.

The new lair actually appeared to be a small factory concerned with the production of furniture. Though Ron had originally believed that the lack of obvious external security precautions was in order to maintain that cover, he'd soon found that there was a distinct shortage of henchmen within. With Drakken, the number had always been varied, but Dementor had always seemed to have a large number in their previous encounters. But not today.

Electronic security was another matter. Ron had avoided detection by a large number of systems already, having progressed greatly since the days when a bell tied to a string was sufficient defense from Team Possible, since Ron inevitably tripped over the string. At least that's the way Ron remembered it, when he questioned his usefulness to Kim as a sidekick. Which didn't happen very often these days, but when it did...

He was now really concerned that he was walking into a trap. Dementor was probably hiding his main force somewhere. Which means he was expected. _"Well, of course I'm expected! But, I'm a day late, he can't have kept them all on alert so long!" _He stayed close to the walls, keeping various workbenches and pieces of equipment between himself and the open space in the center of the lab. He saw two exits from the room, and had no idea where either one led. Then he thought he detected a slight shimmer, or...flutter? He started towards the spot on the wall where he'd seen it. And almost immediately the door at one end of the room, to his right as he now faced, slammed open.

He spun, dropping into a combat stance, but then his jaw dropped. Striding towards him were two giants. Well, nine feet tall, but that counted. Despite his shock, he subconsciously began to assess their movements, while gaping at their appearance. They were green, one male, one female, and they were..._machines of some kind,_ his subconscious told him. They came to a halt about ten feet from him, and appeared to be regarding him coolly. His senses were amping up, and he barely detected the sound of tiny servo-motors coming from them.

"Human!" The male one spoke, voice kind of odd to Ron's ear. _"Hmmm, someone turned up the bass! But to disguise the voice, or make It sound more __macho?" _"Why are you here? If you intend to harm the human Dementor, know that we have made an alliance with him, and will permit no such occurrence!"

Ron arched one eyebrow. "Really? Where do you guys come from?"

The male straightened his shoulders. "We are from Regulus! We are..."

"Regulus?" Ron interrupted, "Isn't that where Captain Constellation's arch-nemesis came from?" He concentrated on his hearing, and heard the faintest of audible whispers, "I told you Arcturus, you moron!" He spun and dashed towards the spot, which happened to be where he'd seen the odd movement. Which he now could tell was a curtain cpvering a doorway, the color of which was a perfect match for the adjacent wall.

"Human! Do not turn your back on us! That is an insult! Don't...pay no attention to the men behind the curtain!" The 'alien's' voice became clearly agitated. Ron swept the curtain aside, and found Dementor and Myron sitting in padded chairs, huge helmets on their heads, connected to a console behind them.

Both heads twisted towards him as he entered, and he heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching behind him.

But he stepped forwards, palming a small, sharp blade, and sliced through two short cables that seemed to connect the 'visor' part of each helmet to the main section. As soon as he did, a crash sounded behind him. A quick look showed that the female robot had run straight into the door jamb, and the male had piled into the back of the female.

He spun back to see Dementor pull his helmet off, fear in his eyes. The Female robot promptly went limp. "_Herr_ Stoppable! Please, no violence! I swear I had no intention of violating _Fraulein _Possible's privacy in such a manner! I got the time zones mixed up, I thought she'd be in school! I....are you listening to me?" He noticed Myron's head twisting about frantically, and elbowed his brother-in-law in the stomach. "Take off the _verdamnt_ helmet, you idiot!"

Ron didn't seem to be paying attention to Dementor's pleas at all, he was staring at the two robots. Then he shook himself, and looked at the mad scientist.

"Time Zone mix-up? Dude, I do that all the time! But...Um, what are those things for?" He gestured towards the robots.

Dementor scowled. "_Ach_! Those I made for _Herr_ Blamhammer, for a picture he was making in Romania, of all places! They are supposed to be aliens, of course!" Then his eyes narrowed, "Though I suppose with different clothes, they could be genies of some kind..."

Ron studied the robots again critically. "Nah! Aliens like that went out in the sixties, didn't they? Nowadays..."

"Dat is vat he vanted!" Dementor cut him off. "Retro-aliens, he called them, for a film that vas supposed to be a spoof, a parody!" He threw his hands in the air, "But then his 'star' decides he needed to do a _serious_ science fiction movie, with _scary_ aliens, and _Herr _Blamhammer says he can no longer use _mein_ creations at all! But he did pay part of the commission, for the time and expense I went to, so it vas not all bad!"

Ron's brow furrowed in puzzlement. "Commission? You're doing things on commission?"

Dementor threw his hands in the air. "Ja! I _have_ to, to make some money of mein own! Ever since my sister took over all the family businesses, with the help of certain people..." Dementor cast a baleful look at Myron, who smiled weakly, "I've been trying to gain my financial independence from her! I HAF BECOME DESPARATE!" His own shout seemed to startle him, and he winced, looking at Ron for signs of anger before continuing, "And Dat is why I was trying so hard to find _Fraulein _Possible's Super-Suit, I hoped to find something in it's design I could use."

Ron rolled his eyes, "Dude! That suit DOES NOT EXIST!" Dementor recoiled from the volume of Ron's voice, "It was made for her to test, ONCE! And while she was testing it, you had to pull a job nearby, so the maker authorized her to use it against you, for a little extra 'testing'!"

Dementor's eyes narrowed craftily. "Really? And who vas it that made that vonderful suit?"

Ron smiled, and casting a mistrustful look at Myron, leaned close to Dementor and whispered in his ear. The Professor listened eagerly, then his face fell. "Nein, nein, NEIN! Not _him_! I haf no intention of getting on _his_ bad side! You are telling the truth, _Herr_ Stoppable, word of honor?" Ron nodded solemnly, and Dementor cursed long and loudly. Ron's ears actually turned red, even though he didn't speak German.

When the scientist had run out of steam, Ron finally got down to business. "Now, let's talk about you getting pictures of Kim naked!" He snapped, and Dementor snapped into a brace, waving both hands in front of himself, shaking his head wildly.

"Nein! All the recordings were erased, IMMEDIATELY! I am not some pervert! _Fraulein _Possible is underage, after all! I swear, I thought she had left for school by the time I sent my drone in, _Herr _Stoppable!" Dementor's tone was pleading, something Ron had rarely heard from the diminutive German before. He thought about it briefly, and was about to relent a bit, when Myron spoke up.

"It's not as if you can't get sexy pictures of Miss Possible indecently dressed off the Internet, anyway!" He stated, smugly.

Both Ron and Dementor stared at him, slack jawed. "_Vat_ are you speaking of, Myron?" The scientist eventually asked. His brother in law smiled triumphantly, and turned to a computer keyboard, entering a long address into his browser. When he'd finished, he turned to them. "What do you think of this?"

Ron and Dementor watched an image resolve itself on the monitor screen. Both of their jaws dropped, and their eyes nearly bugged out. Ron found his voice first.

"Is that...is that..." Myron nodded smugly, still not looking at the screen, "..._Shego_?" Myron's head snapped around, and his own eyes bulged, before he turned red and began to start typing on the keyboard again. "Wrong picture! Just a second!"

"MYRON! Where did you get that..that.. picture!" Dementor bellowed. Ron clapped his hands over his ears. "Dude! Lower the volume!"

"It was on..it was on a website I happened to browse!" Myron stammered out. Then he finished entering a new address, and watched as a new picture resolved itself. "There! What do you call that!" Dementor's eyes widened, but then narrowed suspiciously. "That isn't an external site! That's inside our own system!" he snapped. Myron started, and peered at the screen uncertainly. "Really?"

Behind Dementor, Ron's face had gone very pale, unnoticed by the two villains. In his mind, a conversation from the past was replaying in his head....

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"You managed to make a back door into Dementor's systems, Wade?" Ron enthused, "That's cool!" He paused, "Um, what can we do with that?"

On the screen of Ron's Ronnunicator, Wade rolled his eyes. "Well, I can find any info on his system we might need, for one thing! And in an emergency, you or Kim may be able to access his system, maybe finding a way out of a jam. He has schematics for most of his lairs, including the security systems. As long as he keeps them updated, that may save your lives at some point!"

"Cool! Um, you said _I_ can access that info?" Ron asked tentatively.

"Sure! I'll show you how, using your Ronnunicator, or Kim's Kimmunicator. Just have to remember to 'close' the door when you leave, or you might accidentally upload something to Dementor's system! But, you'll only use the back door if it's an emergency, right?" Wade asked warily.

"Oh, right! Only in an actual, real big emergency, absolutely!" Ron replied, nodding vigorously. _"Somewhere in that system is the Demenz family recipe for Black Forest Apple __Walnut Strudel! But, that's not an emergency, of course! Nope, that's not worth giving our advantage away! Nope, nope, nope..."_

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The picture showed Kim in her 'mission' underwear. She was in a small room, trying to arrange her obviously wet hair with both hands. She stood in profile, a fierce look on her face. _"Mad at herself! She thought she'd made a mistake! But that isn't important, I just had to keep that image of her, that side of her!" _Ron remembered he'd been fiddling with his Ronnunicator when he'd looked up and saw her. And instinctively, it seemed, used the camera function to preserve that image.

It had been after foiling Drakken's Lake Michigan caper. As the villains had lifted the chemical tank off the deck, Kim had managed to jump onto it. She'd scrambled atop it, and tried to foil the theft by weakening all the cables, hoping the container wouldn't snap any cables until all four were weakened. But, she'd only damaged two when they both snapped. The hovercraft had flipped onto it's side, pitching Drakken and Shego into the water a hundred feet below. As hovercraft and cargo had plummeted downwards, Kim had managed to dive cleanly into the water, well clear.

But the unexpected fall hadn't worked out so well for the villains. Shego was clearly stunned, and Drakken was just floating face down, unmoving. Kim had seen this, and swam quickly to his rescue. Later, Ron had rarely seen Kim look so stricken as when she watched Drakken, in a neck brace, and strapped to a backboard, loaded into a Coast Guard helicopter for transport to a hospital.

She'd blamed herself,of course. Hence the fierce scowl on her face in the picture, taken in a small cabin on the ship, while they waited for some investigation team to arrive, so they could give statements. Ron had made to leave when she stripped off her wet outer clothes, but she told him to stay, he'd seen her in less. _"Oh, I __so__ wish I'd followed my instincts, and left! Now, if this picture has gotten on the Internet...No, unless someone got into Dementor's system and downloaded it, I'm Chauncey! But, I should tell Kim, it's the right thing to do..."_

"Someone must have uploaded this to my system, hoping I'd be caught with it, and CALLED A PERVERT!" Dementor bellowed. "And when I find out who..." He quivered with suppressed anger.

"Okay, forget that for the moment, Prof!" Ron exclaimed, "We still have business to settle. Now, am I right in assuming you don't want me to get physical with you guys?" A suddenly subdued Dementor and Myron both nodded. "Good, than here's what's going to stop me...First, I'm going to write more stories about the 'Super-Suit', and I'm going to portray you as obsessed with it, Understand?"

Dementor shrugged. "_Ja_, I suppose dat is fair!"

"Second, that picture gets deleted! If any pictures show up on the 'Net that I suspect came from this place, I _will _be back! Oh, is that why so few security guards, no money?" Dementor grimaced, then nodded. "Ah! Okay, lastly...on one of your commissions, did you make the Nanomoths?"

Dementor's face contorted strangely, then he burst out laughing. "The Nanomoths? Please, _Herr_ Stoppable! For the source of those, you need to look closer to home!"

Ron frowned suspiciously. "Drakken?"

"Nein, Nein! Try Herman, son of Cyrus Bortel! Currently a student at Middleton Institute of Science and Technology! I mean, vat does destroying all the clothes at a fashion show, and making all the people naked, sound like to you?"

Ron slapped his forehead. "A prank! As in, a college fraternity prank, or was he solo?"

Dementor held up his hands. "Please! I'm not even completely sure he's guilty! But, I strongly suspect dat he is!"

Ron nodded. "All right, you heard my terms, and there's one more!" He looked Dementor straight in the eye. "Behave yourself, until Kim's healthy again, or you'll have to face the Ronman, without her to make me play nice!" As he said this, he heard movement near his feet. He looked down to see a Dachshund trotting past. It stopped, looked at Ron and Dementor, snarled, then trotted away.

Ron watched it leave curiously. "What's his problem?"

"Vell, he's either mad about you writing about him being turned into a giant mutant Dachshund, which he wasn't! _Or_...he's mad at me for _not_ turning him into a giant mutant Dachshund for real, one or the other, who knows?"

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"Shego! Wake up!" Shego heaved her body as hard as she could trying to dislodge the weight pinning her down. She was somewhere between the nightmare and full wakefulness, and panicking. She bucked again, and felt a hard surface under her, and some aches that felt like fresh bruises.

"Shego! Please don't light up, wake up, Please!" _"Light up? NO!! Can't light up, I'll burn up!" _She bucked again, but in the process she opened her eyes briefly. The light wasn't strong enough to be painful, but something suddenly made her calm down. She had flashes of memory. Bernadette Barr's frightened face, inches from her own. Tumbling around, a cry of pain...her eyes shot open.

She was flat on her back on the floor, her arms held away from her body and pinned down. She was covered with perspiration, her chest heaving as she struggled to try and calm herself.

Bernie sat astride her abdomen, holding her hands down. In the faint light, Shego could still see that the other woman was a mess. The left front part of her pajama top was _gone_, though the sleeve still clung to the back panel. Three livid, wide lacerations ran across the top of Bernie's left breast, and her nose was bleeding. "Did I do that?" Shego managed to gasp.

Her own chest heaving, sweat mixed with streaks of blood covering her exposed torso, Bernie shook her head. "Never mind that now! Are _you_ all right?

You're not going to flare up, are you? I don't know what will happen if you do..."

"I won't! I never do, not when I have that dream..." Shego took a deep breath and held it for a moment, then let it out slowly. "You can get off of me now." Bernie hesitated, then slid off her, adopting a seated position next to the thief, self-consciously tucking her left leg under herself as she did.

Shego sat up, pulling up her knees and draping her arms around them. But _not_ hugging them, like some insecure person, just sort of tensing her arms a bit. She stared straight ahead for a moment, then asked, "What happened?"

Bernie shifted her position a bit and winced, reflexively reaching towards her right side before halting the motion. "Well, I was having my own little nightmare, but apparently yours was more important. I woke up looking into your eyes from about six inches away, and you had a death grip on my PJ's. And...the look in your eyes kind of....hell, you scared me! I panicked, tried to pull away, you didn't let go, then pulled back the other way, and we came off the bed. You still weren't awake, so it got sort of hectic for a bit. At least CPR would have been easier to perform on the floor." She was inspecting the scrapes on her chest as she spoke, and the ruins of her top.

Shego was looking at a large piece of material still held in her clenched fist. She had to concentrate for a moment to make her hand relax. "Sorry. What happened to your side?" She handed the material to Bernie who used it to wipe some blood from under her nose.

"Oh, that's nothing..." Bernie didn't have a chance to move as Shego lunged towards her and tore her top aside to bare her right ribs. "Nothing, Hell!" The pale thief snapped. She pulled away, a furious expression on her face. "When did I do that?"

"You didn't," Bernie replied defensively, "I hit the bedside table when we fell to the floor!" She prodded the bruised area with the fingers of her left hand, and gasped, "Don't think I broke any."

"You mean you don't think _I_ broke any!" Shego shot to her feet, became dizzy, and sat down abruptly on the bed. She looked down at Bernie, still scowling, then stood up slowly and held out her hands. "Let me help you up, and don't argue! I know nurses and doctors are the last people fit to judge their own condition!"

Bernie hesitated, then reluctantly let Shego help her up on to the bed. She leaned to her left once seated, and Shego exposed and studied her injured ribs. "If one of them isn't at least cracked, I've never seen a blunt trauma, and believe me, I've caused plenty of them!" Shego was shifting from angry to sullen, and Bernie studied her face for a moment, then shook her head. "As soon as you're gone, I'll call the main house and get someone to take me to the ER. You need to get to someone you trust to check out that stuff Alpha put in you last night." She discarded her ruined top while she spoke, and tried to pull one of the blankets around herself. Shego gave her a hand.

"You never told me exactly what happened last night." Shego muttered, eyes on the floor. "I sent Doc a message last night, telling him I was all right, and would get back to the lair on my own, but I didn't even know if he was still alive!"

"He's fine!" Bernie assured her. She gave Shego an account of the previous night's events or as much as she was certain of, while studying the increasing light coming through the window. "You'll have to go pretty soon, before it gets too light. Dad has a very good security system on this place. We had problems when I was a kid."

Shego was still ratcheting her jaw shut after what she'd been told. Even lacking in detail, it seemed a bit over the top. But a smirk sprang onto her face now. "Please! Security systems are my business!"

"Yeah, but you're not at your best right now... and wearing _that?!" _Bernie pointed to Shego's costume dress, draped over a chair. Then she sighed, "But I suppose I can loan you something better. Right now, go ahead and use the shower if you want. But hand me that crutch first, will you?"

Shego regarded the other woman for a moment, and Bernie met her gaze. Shego saw a question lurking in Bernie's eyes, and wondered how she would answer it. Then it came, but not in the form she expected. "Suppose you don't want to talk about this nightmare of yours, any more then I like discussing mine?"

Shego relaxed slightly, relieved her hostess wasn't going to pry. "Not big on that kind of sharing, no." She replied, "And I'll take you up on the shower." She got up, fetched the crutch for Bernie and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She turned the shower on, stripped off her pajamas, and had a look at her own rapidly fading bruises in the mirror. _"Heh, healing still working good enough."_ She got into the shower, but tried to keep her hair as clear of the spray as possible. It was too much hassle to deal with now, and she didn't want to delay too long, despite her boast to Bernie.

She was out and drying off when Bernie spoke to her through the door. "It's not my business, but if this nightmare has been bothering you for a while, you should find someone to talk to about it, as much as you might hate to. I mean, you wouldn't want to make the same mistake Kim did, letting something lurk inside you until it could mess you up, do you?"

Shego oddly found her normal response to advice on how to run her life lacking. _"For a while? Try ever since three nights after I got these powers! Not as often since I've been an adult, haven't had it for months. But I'm not surprised I scared her, I've heard similar stories before."_ Being compared to her nemesis also was a strange concept. She shook her head violently, then put her hand to her forehead. And didn't say at all what she intended. "And who would you suggest I go see? I mean, psychiatric care is covered in my health plan with Drakken, but I always thought that was because there weren't any psychiatrists treating villains! Outside of prison, that is!"

"Well...she may kill me for this, but I'd suggest Elizabeth Cardien. She has offices in the Gatewood center downtown. She'll tell anyone trying to violate doctor/patient confidentiality to take a hike, up to and including the Feds, and she has a high security clearance because of some patients she once had."

Shego was a bit bemused, she hadn't actually expected an answer. Then Bernie knocked on the door. "Here's a pair of jeans, and a blouse. We're not the same shoe size, sorry!" Shego wrapped a towel around herself, opened the door a crack,and accepted the clothes. She saw enough of Bernie to see that she had put on some underwear, but not a bra. "Thanks! I can manage barefoot, believe it or not. At least for a while."

"Um, there's frost on the ground out there, guess the temperature dropped quite a bit since the party ended." Bernie replied. Shego nodded to herself. _"That's what I meant by 'for a while'. Higher body temperature is a boon for a while, but when my own parts start getting cold, they really feel cold!"_

Shego dressed quickly and came out to find Bernie sitting on the bed again, just fastening her own jeans. The bruise on her side was looking worse, and another pang of guilt went through Shego. _"Two women with good reasons to have nightmares in the same bed was a bad idea, especially if one of them is me!" _Aloud, she announced, "Okay, I'm going to get going, are you sure you don't want more help?"

"No, I'm fine!" Bernie replied, which was an obvious lie. She had a sheen of perspiration on her, and was not doing very well at hiding the pain she was feeling. But Shego let it go. "Thanks again for not turning me in last night. I didn't exaggerate what might have happened to me if you had." _"In fact, I may have understated it! A few of those countries don't want to imprison me, they want to recruit me, By any means necessary!"_ "And I'm sorry you got hurt helping me, just don't ever tell anyone I apologized, got it?"

Bernie's smile was a little forced, but she nodded. "No Big!" Shego gave her a narrow squint, then noticed how she was holding a T-Shirt in her lap, waiting to be alone to struggle into it. "Yeah, like that's going to be a good idea!" She muttered sarcastically. She walked over to the closet, and found a warm coat, then returned to Bernie. "Here, this will be easier to get into and out of at the hospital, which you should already know!" Bernie blushed slightly, but allowed Shego to help her into the coat. "Thanks."

"Oh, 'No Big!'" Shego responded in a bad imitation of Kim, rolling her eyes, "Now when I'm out of here, call your family up and get someone down here, got it?" Then she blinked. "Uh, yeah...I'm gone!" Snatching up her discarded costume, she left the room hurriedly.

Bernie sagged as soon as Shego was out of sight, wincing. Then she carefully reached for the bedside phone. _"Well, I could tell Mom that I've finally __slept__ with someone since my injury, but that wouldn't be fair to her hopes. Of course, now I have to say I got all clumsy and fell down, so she'll start worrying again! As Kim would say, this is So the Drama!" _she groaned aloud as her ribs protested her movements. _"What's the saying? 'No good deed goes unpunished'?"_

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Doctor Drakken sat poring over some of his old research notes, a large mug of coffee replacing his usual beverage of choice. Nervous energy and concern for Shego had kept him from sleeping after all. Even though he had read her coded message, he was still concerned about her. Agent Alpha had been certain he'd done something nasty to her, and Shego wasn't always honest when it came to her physical condition. He knew for a fact she'd gotten hurt a few times 'collecting' things for him and never admitted it. She only admitted the obvious ones. Like the bullet in the leg in Singapore. He winced when he remembered about that time.

He was aware of someone's approach, but since he _was _aware of it, he knew it wasn't Shego, so he ignored it for the moment. Even when the person reached the opposite side of his worktable, he continued to look at his notes.

"Doctor Drakken?" He finally deigned to look up. It was one of the new security men. "Yes, what is it?"

"I understand Gemini is in custody, but you still wish to retain us for your protection, why?" The man's voice was neutral, not even truly curious.

Drakken sighed, rubbing his eyes, then looked up again. "Because if Gemini has a contingency plan, it'll go off in the first few hours, or at least the first day of his capture. After that, he'll be so deep in GJ custody his people will never locate him! Unless he has a mole inside, he'll burn one of those in a heartbeat to get free." He snorted derisively, "Easiest way for Doctor Director to find all the moles in her organization, arrest her brother, and watch them blow their covers to save him!"

The guard nodded. "Ah, I see! Well, whether or not he regains his freedom, Doctor, I'm afraid you're not going to be around to see it." He drew the pistol he wore and pointed it at Drakken's head, "My 'tag', for the record, is Theta Nine! You see, he anticipated you might feel the need for extra security, and of course knew where you'd go to get it! Mind you, you called for it far earlier then anticipated, perhaps there is a leak in our organization?"

"Leak? Try leaks, as in sieve, as in hiring anyone who can fill out a ten page questionnaire titled 'Are you morally challenged enough', and doesn't mind wearing purple in public! Please! Not only are your security measures inadequate, he keeps changing them on a monthly basis! Oh, and by the way, _I _anticipated _his_ anticipating my need for security, and where I'd get it from, what do you think of that?" Drakken finished his mini-rant with a smug grin.

The man snorted. "I find that very hard to believe, actually!"

"Suit yourself!" And Drakken used his toe to depress the floor switch it had been resting on ever since the man approached....

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Wade Load finished coughing, and snatched up a wipe to clean the splatters of soda off the monitor screen in front of him. "Note to Kim: Don't stand in front of Drakken's work desk while talking to him!"

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The chief of the Henchco security detail rushed into the main lab, followed by two of his men. They came to a halt and stared at Drakken, pacing around a discolored area of the floor in front of his work desk, in the center of which was a small pile of ash and some twisted pieces of metal. The scientist was studying the front legs of the desk, which were scorched. "Gnnnn...not properly calibrated, have to do something about that!"

"What happened Doctor Drakken?" The chief asked.

"Hmmm? Oh, well, one picture, etcetera..." He went behind his desk and entered a command on his keyboard. A large video screen swung out of a wall niche, and a replay of Theta Nine's last minutes was displayed, including full audio.

The chief swallowed nervously when it was done. "I'll inform Mister Hench of this, he'll be most unhappy to hear about this infiltration!" He stammered out.

"Goodie, that'll make two of us!" Drakken snapped, "I'm going out, have someone get a broom and dustpan and clean this up before I get back. One of _your _people, not one of mine, understand?"

"I'll take care of it personally, Sir!"

"As you wish." Drakken muttered, as he headed for the tunnel to the hangar.

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A few minutes earlier, Kim Possible's temperature reached one hundred degrees. At which point the small sensor adhered to her forehead sent out a signal.

Underneath Anne Possible's bedside table, a small device had been affixed. It held a flash drive in a pair of clamps. A small LED began to flash red on the device, and the clamps opened, dropping the flash drive to the carpet. At the same time,a high-pitched beeping began to emit from the device itself.

Anne frowned in her sleep, and began to wake. _"Wha....what? What __is__ that? Not my alarm...hope it isn't one of the boys' inventions wandering in....Eep!"_ And her eyes shot open, and she sat up in bed violently enough to finish waking James. "Honey? What's that beep....oh no!" And he came just as awake, rolling over to scan the floor on his side of the bed. "Nothing here, Anne!"

Anne, doing the same thing on her side, noticed the flash drive, and could now locate the source of the beeping. "I don't think it's a runaway security 'bot this time, dear." She reached under the table and felt around, just as the beeping stopped. She felt the device, and cautiously ran her fingers over it, then took hold of it and pulled.

"Good! Not that I wouldn't mind being trapped in the bed with you again, my Dear, but that last time was hard on the nerves! Of course,this time the boys are still home to disarm it, not gone off early for a camping trip." He winced, "And Kimmie-cub isn't stubbornly insisting she can deal with it herself, and turning our bedroom into a battlefield..." He trailed off as his eyes fell on the two objects his wife was now holding. "Well, I recognize one, what's the other?"

Anne handed him the device from under the table. "You see what you think of it, dear!" She got up and crossed to the table she'd left her laptop on. She powered it up while studying the drive curiously. James was looking at the device, while paying her some peripheral attention. "Dear, that thing might have a virus in it." He commented absently.

"I doubt it, this is too elaborate a means to deliver it." Anne plugged the drive in, and a program immediately began to run. James looked up briefly from his own study, and blinked rapidly. "Dear, I truly hesitate to say this, but you might want to put a robe on." At which point he saw a demonstration of just how much of the human body could actually blush.

Moments later, a message began to appear on the laptop's screen.

**Doctor Possible, if this protocol has been activated, then your daughter is now running a fever of at least one hundred degrees. This is to inform you of the cause, so your treatment of her symptoms is correct...**

"James! You read this, I'm going to Kim!"

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Kim stood at the podium, dressed in her nicest Sunday dress, trying to resist shading her eyes against the lights shining on her, making the rest of the vast room hard to make out.

The emcee, Jack Hench stepped forward. "Now, Miss Possible, this game is called 'Ron Says'. In it, members of the audience will ask you questions about your adventures. If the question is preceded by them saying 'Ron Says', you have to give your boyfriend's version of things. If they don't say 'Ron Says', you tell the true version! You may be asked the same question both ways, or not. Do you understand the rules?"

Kim nodded, smiling brightly. "I understand!"

"Good! And now for our first question!"

Doctor Drakken stepped out of the dimness beyond the lights. "Ron Says:How long does a Neural Compliance Chip last, and what are it's effects?"

Kim grinned cheerily. "Until the chip is removed, or neutralized with a Silicon Phase Disruptor! And it makes the person wearing it obey any orders given by the person who first speaks to them after it is put on!"

"Very Good, Kimberley Anne!" Drakken replied. "Second question:How long does a Neural Compliance Chip last, and what are it's effects?"

With a bit less cheer in her grin, Kim replied, "For up to thirty minutes, or until it's removed, or neutralized by a Silicon Phase Disruptor. It disrupts a person's ability to form coherent thoughts, and makes some people with submissive or subordinate mindsets accept instructions or suggestions from other people. But any orders requiring complicated responses seriously reduce the duration of the chip. Instructions totally contrary to their nature can result in feedback, resulting in a burn being caused to the wearer."

"Very Good, Kimberley!" Jack Hench exclaimed, and polite applause echoed in the room. Kim smiled happily, bowing slightly. Drakken withdrew, and Killigan stepped up. "Now, Lassie, answer this one:Ron Says, how often does Killigan wear his kilt?"

Kim rolled her eyes. "All the time!"

"Verra Good, Lassie! Now: How often does Killigan wear his kilt?"

"Only in his home castle, that I've seen! Most of the time, he wears what he calls 'Combat Trews', which are fatigue pants in his family tartan."

"Meh! Too easy! Why did I have ta ask the easy ones?" Killigan complained, as he stepped back into the gloom. As Frugal Lucre stepped up, Kim also discerned another figure vaguely, obvious a muscular man, holding something in his arms...

"Okay! I'm up! Let's see you answer this one! Um...wait a minute, this one doesn't involve me, do I have to ask it? I mean, I've got some good ones with me in them, but this one..."

"Ask the question, Lucre!" Came a chorus of voices.

"OH, ALL RIGHT! But I won't enjoy it...let me see...Was Senor Senior Senior a criminal before he met you two? Wait! Was I supposed to say 'Ron Says' before that one? Can I have a do-over?"

Hench fixed him with a baleful glare as groans echoed. Then Jack smiled at Kim. "Answer the question as asked, my dear!"

Kim nodded. "He was not involved in outright criminal activities, but some of his business tactics may have been more then a little illegal." She frowned, the stranger was becoming more distinct, a dark skinned man holding something white...Kim shook her head, regaining her focus. "Sorry! The Seniors appear to have only taken up supervillain status as a hobby. Junior once said it was only a phase, his father would eventually get bored with it, but no sign of that yet."

Lucre looked at Hench and beamed. "So now I ask another question? There's no point in asking it the other way, we all know _that _answer! So why don't I make one.._Ack!"_ He squawked, as Hego stepped out of the gloom and plucked him up. The blue hero grimaced at Kim. "Don't tell Sis, she'll just laugh!" He then exited with his squirming burden.

Kim frowned, and peered into the gloom, now shading her eyes. "Why isn't Shego here?" Her eyes drifted to the strange man holding....or was he a stranger?

Monkeyfist's voice drew her attention. "Ron says:Where did I acquire the Monkey King Amulet, and what effect did it have on you?"

Kim grimaced. "Uh, you stole it from the Forbidden City Museum in China. It began to turn me into a monkey."

Fiske sneered at her. "Good enough! Next question: Where did I acquire the Monkey King Amulet that I used on you, and what effect did it have?"

Kim blushed and shuffled her feet nervously. "You made it yourself. It was supposed to turn it's victims into devoted slaves of the Master of Mystic Monkey Power. You used it on me, thinking it would enslave me, but instead...I became Ron's....I became devoted to him!" She gave him a defiant look. "First time you realized you weren't Number One, wasn't it?" She observed tartly.

As Monty faded from view, Jack Hench cleared his throat. "Sorry, Miss Possible, I'll have to rule against you, based on your choice of words. 'Devoted' was totally inadequate, I'm afraid. 'Enslaved' or worse would have been necessary! By the way, who released you from the spell, and why? I won't ask why Ron didn't write the true story, heh, it's sort of obvious!"

Kim gave him a sour look. "Monty had to release me. He did it because Ron threatened to command me to turn him into something resembling Naco filling, and he wasn't sure whether it was a bluff or not."

"What happened to the little dog?" Kim's head snapped around, her gaze focusing on the strange man, the source of the question. She'd seen him before..."Um, he found his way back to the little girl." she answered uncertainly.

The man smiled, slowly shaking his head. "No, no, not that little dog, the other little dog." Kim stared at him, confused. "The one in the alley, you remember? The little stray dog that was so interested in the strange -smelling foreigner?"

"'Foreigner'?" Kim whispered. _"Kim..."_ "I don't...nothing happened! It got away!"_"Kimmie, Sweetheart..."_

"Did it? Oh yes, you are correct! So that's not the problem, is it?" The man scratched the ears of the scrawny little dog he held in his arms. "Well, if you don't figure out what is, you'll just have to stay crazy the rest of your life!" _"Kimmie, please wake up..."_

"Crazy?" The scene was becoming indistinct, but Kim saw that she was now in a straitjacket. She heard Jack Hench's voice. "Yes, I'm afraid you've lost, you'll be insane for...."

And she opened her eyes to see her mother's concerned face. "Mom?" she moistened dry lips, "Mom, I don't feel so good."

"You have a fever, Sweetheart, don't worry. I want you to sit up and drink some water, then take these aspirin." Anne put one arm behind Kim's shoulders to lift her up and held the glass for the girl to drink from. Then she handed Kim the aspirin, and helped her wash them down. She held up the Kimmunicator and studied it. "Ninety-nine point three, but it supposedly went up to one hundred."

"_Supposedly?" _While that remark puzzled Kim, the sounds of her brothers' voices coming from the hall distracted her. "No Way! Nobody gets past _our_ security without being detected, you can check the...oh, no! _We_ forgot to check the logs last night, be right back!"

Kim frowned. "_What's going on here?" "_Sweetheart, I want to look at your shoulder." Suiting action to words, Anne bared Kim's shoulder and studied it carefully. "What's the last thing you remember last night, Kim?" She asked.

"What? Um, I remember the football score on the radio...did Ron come by? Oh! Did you enjoy the party? Wait a minute, did I fall asleep? Did you have to put me to bed, Mom?" As she babbled, Kim spotted her father over her mother's shoulder, apparently looking at something in his hands, and frowning. She couldn't shift her view to see what he held while her mother was examining her.

"No, you were in bed when we got home, Kimmie." Anne replied distractedly as she peered closely at a spot on Kim's shoulder. "There's a slight mark...let me see that message again, dear." James set the laptop down on the bed, across Kim's legs, so Anne could see the screen. Kim recognized it as her mother's from the decals of a small pink heart and two blue bows that adorned it's cover.

"Okay, will someone _please_ tell me what I missed?" Kim asked in a frustrated tone.

"Not sure yet, Kimmie-cub!" Her father replied, "But we're getting to the bottom of it!" Anne was alternately studying the screen of her laptop, scrolling the text up and down; and Kim's shoulder, nodding once or twice to herself.

"Got them!" Came the cry from Tim as he rushed into the room. "There were four of them, dressed as Ninjas! One of them snuck up and drugged Kim while she was sitting on the couch, and three of them brought her back here, while the other one passed out the candy!" Both adults and Kim just looked at him, blinking. Kim used her free hand to give herself a hard pinch. "Nope, Not dreaming!"

"Probably should let Mom look at the feed from in here, though!" Tim remarked thoughtfully.

"F...f...feed from in here!?" Kim almost sat upright, but her mother stopped her, "You've got video cameras in HERE?"

"'Course not!" Jim exclaimed, as he too entered the room. "Just biometric and thermal scanners, and an audio pick-up!"

"Just!??" Kim pushed against her mother's restraining hand. "Just!? You had better not have anything in my own room, TWEEBS!"

Both twins contrived to look insulted. "Of course not! I mean, what would we want to see or hear in _your_ room?" Kim's eyes narrowed, but she let it drop for now. "Ninjas? What did they do to me?"

"Well..." Her Mother began, "If you believe what they put in this message, they fixed your shoulder...in a way."

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Oh, did it again. This isn't a cliffhanger, this is just me deciding not to let the chapters for this story get too long. So, not done with Saturday yet. Next chapter, Kim will get an explanation, Drakken will make some social calls regarding the election, and Ron will hear about the 'Ninja Nurses'. Then, I'll give the cast Sunday off, and resume the story on the following Monday, when the candidates debate.

Please Read and Review.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

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Steven Barkin was more then a little put out to have a visitor interrupt his Saturday routine. After all, it was one of two days of the week that he had managed to keep relatively well organized for years. Though he had tried to impose order on the five school days every week, that had of course been a largely futile effort. So the weekends were his sole refuge from the chaos of the world. Or at least, that's how he saw it.

And right now, the proper refreshments to accompany an afternoon and evening of watching college football games were properly deployed, awaiting him as the time for the first kick-off neared. And then his doorbell rang. Storming to the door with a scowl on his face, he flung it open, and glared down at his visitor. Then his expression changed to one of bewilderment. "Aren't you..."

"Drew Lipsky, yes. And you're Steven Barkin, are you not?" Drakken was out of his lab coat, and wearing the clothes he usually wore to town to avoid unnecessary attention, topped by a heavy coat, as the morning had proven very chilly. "I wonder if I can have a word with you?"

Barkin drew himself up to his full height, and studied Drakken suspiciously. "If you're after my vote, I'm afraid..."

"No, no, no, nothing of the sort, I wanted to ask your opinion about the current state of the school system in Middleton, and sound you out on the possibility of replacing Mrs Geary as Head of the School Board." Barkin's eyebrows shot up, and his look shifted to a calculating, though still suspicious one. Then he stepped back, and gestured for Drakken to enter.

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"Now, calm down, Kim, you're not going anywhere, just yet!" Anne admonished her daughter. "We still need to verify what this message implies, and that's going to take an MRI. And I'm not going to jump you ahead of anyone else on the waiting list at the hospital. Until then, you're treating your shoulder just as if nothing has happened, clear?" She smiled as Kim sulked, falling back against her pillows. "Why don't we get you up and dressed, and try to concentrate on just what's been going on here?"

Kim sulked a moment longer, then nodded. "All right. From what those 'Ninjas' said, they were the ones who put that nanotech in my head, meant to induce and sustain a coma. And they implied that it was for a different client. So, it looks as if they're for hire. Maybe Ron can find out something from _Sensei_? But for now, what's important is to figure out who did it, and why! Let me call Wade up, and let him in on this, maybe he can analyze whatever they put in me."

Anne thought for a moment, then nodded, and handed Kim her Kimmunicator. "One thing first, there was one more part of the message, beyond describing the procedure they performed."

Kim gave her a puzzled look. "Why did they need to leave that message at all, Mom? Was there a medical reason, I mean?"

"Well, yes, actually. Your shoulder is also hot, and shows some signs consistent with an infection. So, they were concerned we would give you antibiotics unnecessarily. They wouldn't have affected whatever they injected in you, and the symptoms wouldn't have abated, so we might have proceeded with treatment you didn't need. So, they seem to be concerned with the welfare of their 'patient', at least on this occasion."

"Hmmm, Well, this is a new one." Kim shook her head, "Anyway, what was the rest of the message?"

Anne made a face. "Well, it's an odd one, they want you to keep your 'recovery' a secret if you can. They imply that their client might get in trouble if someone suspects that he gave them the means to heal you. And apparently a too-rapid recovery will make some people suspicious. It sounds kind of thin to me, but they do say that if some real emergency comes up, not to worry. Mind you, I want you to remember, your shoulder is _not_ really healed, or full strength! If this information is correct, it's 'reinforced' to allow you to use it without impeding your healing, but exercising to strengthen it has to be handled carefully."

Kim nodded to show she was paying attention, but her thoughts concerned motivations. "I don't really see how it could point to any one source if I had some high-tech medical help, I have lots of friends and contacts that might be responsible. This person sounds a bit insecure. Junior comes to mind, but many of my foes have insecurities. But 'getting in trouble' for helping me sounds like a villain, or....I hope no one used technology from a Secret project to help me, I'd hate for someone to get in trouble over this!" She hit the activation keys on the Kimmunicator, and smiled when she saw Wade's face appear. "Hey Wade! You're not going to believe..."

"Your brothers already sent me all the video, Kim!" He grinned as Kim pouted, "So let's see if we can connect this tech with the other. Other then how it got into you, 'kay?"

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Drakken had endured a thirty minute rant, of sorts, on the subject of the ills suffered by the local education system. He was just considering taking notes to improve his own technique when Barkin said something really interesting.

"One major problem with Sheila Geary is her competitiveness, and the Johansen Grant triggers it in the worst way. Not to condemn a competitive spirit, of course, but one was temper it with realistic expectations!"

Drakken hurried to get his mouthful of mini-pretzels chewed and swallowed so he could speak before Barkin shifted to a new topic. "Johansen Grant? Not familiar with that."

"Oh, that. It's an annual contribution to the school budget in the Upperton District! A legacy left by the late millionaire Jurgen Johansen, to be spent on something 'special' for the students at one of the Upperton schools. Sometimes they spend it on something practical, but more often something whimsical, that just encourages students to waste their time on some 'artistic' or 'touchy-feely' endeavor! Anyway, Sheila Geary usually ends up getting something similar for a Middleton school, just to keep up!"

Drakken nodded, intrigued. "Where does she get the money? Does she ask for donations? Perhaps from Big Ed Barr?" Barkin was shaking his head.

"Not at all! She manages out of the regular budget, she takes pride in _not_ relying on sources like that, it's one of the reasons she was initially popular at that position, not asking for contributions or donations, beyond the usual."

"But where does she get the money?" Drakken asked, "Does she short-change other needs? And when did the school districts fragment? I understand it used to be the 'Tri-Cities' school district once."

Barkin nodded, face grim. "It was the same reason, the Johansen Grant! It specified that one of the three Upperton Schools, Upperton High, Upperton-Westside, or Lake View receive the money, not any other schools in the district! I won't go into all the ugly business, but in the end, the district fragmented, as you said." He paused a moment. "As to where the money comes from, trust me, everything the average student or teacher sees in our schools is up to date, so it has to be something else. Unless it's the cafeteria food, that's a plausible theory. Or perhaps refurbishing the Home Economics classroom. Anyway, it bears looking into, if someone has the time! I personally have none to spare, of course!"

"Of Course!" Drakken nodded agreeably. He slapped his thighs and rose to his feet. "If you could put together a proposal for changes to be made in administering the district, I'd be glad..."

"Already done!" Mister Barkin interrupted, "Wrote one some time ago, and kept it updated constantly. Part of my Sunday routine, in fact. Let me get you a copy." He left the room, and Drakken helped himself to more pretzels. The television was showing a local game, M.I.S.T. versus Upperton University. The commentators were having fun with the 'placebo steroid' story, pointing out that after going undefeated while believing they were taking steroids, the 'Space Cadets' hadn't scored a point since the truth came out. 'Space Cadets' was a popular nickname for the squad, the actual team name being the Engineers.

Drakken remembered attending games when he was a student, and cheering lustily for the team, at least through the first quarter, after which it was often too apparent that the game was already lost. After that, Drakken usually left the games, having no need for any further depression of his spirits then he already received on a daily basis. Possible, Chen, Ramesh and the others had stayed though, futilely supporting a rapidly deteriorating situation.

But they did win one or two games a year when Drakken was there, and he did fondly remember those days, and the celebrations afterwards. As long as he didn't consume any alcohol. Those days he would rather forget completely. But somehow he was one of those rare people who were able to remember everything they did under the influence, or had done to them.

He was brought out of his dark thoughts by Mister Barkin's return, Carrying an armload of manuscript. "Well, here's the original copy!" Barkin announced, and Drakken looked at the pile askance, before Barkin dropped it in a chair, and held up a CD. "And here is a transcription for you to take with you!"

Drakken tried not to let his relief show as he accepted the disk, nodding gratefully. "Thank You, Mister Barkin, I'll try and peruse this before Monday's debates! But for now, I have other calls to make, so you must excuse me."

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"Kim, it's not nanotech at all in your shoulder, it's some kind of biotech! They're living, programmed cells of some kind, as far as I can tell! This stuff is _way _cool!" Wade babbled happily, barely taking his eyes off whatever screen he was studying it on to acknowledge Kim.

"Neat, Wade!" Kim replied, none too enthusiastically as she looked around. She and her Mother had barely reached the hospital when Anne had been called away to deal with an administrative problem. She'd promised to arrange Kim's MRI as soon as she could, and left the teen to her own devices. "But is it doing whatever it's supposed to?" _"And where did it come from? This sounds kinda dodgy, someone may have let me use some Top Secret stuff without permission, or maybe I'm a guinea pig? No, then they'd want me being active, instead of hiding my recovery."_

"Uh, well, Mom is still looking at the scans we took at your house, and your Mom isn't giving her opinion, but I'm optimistic!" Wade still kept his eyes fixed on his studies, and Kim decided to seek another diversion. "'kay, Wade, I'll check back with you later!" Wade waved vaguely at her on the screen, and she disconnected.

It didn't take long for Kim to find something else to take an interest in. Bernadette Barr and her younger brother Joe were sitting in the ER waiting area, Joe gesticulating demonstrably as he talked to her. The area was full, mostly with elderly people, Kim noted. As Kim approached, she saw the drawn look on Bernie's face, and heard Joe's words.

His tone was pleading. "I didn't mean it that way, sis, of course I'm worried about you! It's just that I've been kidding Joe Geary about chauffeuring his little sister around while he's on 'probation', and I was worried he'd get me back over this!"

Bernie had spotted Kim, and smiled wanly at the girl, patting the empty seat next to her. Now she addressed Joe, "Don't worry about it! Not that the circumstances are the same, though! Hey, Kim, how are things going with you?"

"Trust me, you wouldn't believe me if I told you!" The girl answered, making Bernie's eyes widen, "But more important, what happened to you?" Kim continued, her concern showing in her tone.

"Oh, nothing major! Took a fall, broke a rib! School's going to need another nurse, I'm afraid!" Bernie replied, trying to sound nonchalant. But she was in obvious pain, and it showed in both her posture and voice. She switched the subject quickly, however, giving Kim an account of the previous night's party. Skipping the fact that she'd hidden Shego in her house overnight.

Kim took a bit to process the whole story, which triggered varying degrees of interest and incredulity. "All of that really happened?" She finally blurted out. Bernie nodded, and Joe looked sullen. "Drakken shielded that waitress?"

"Well, it may not have been entirely intentional, Kim. And she wouldn't have even been there at all if Brother Joe and Joe Geary hadn't put her up to staging a little scene, planning to have her accuse Doctor Drakken of assaulting her!" She gave Joe a stern glare, and he looked away, "Their idea on how to liven things up at this year's party! Anyway, it was nice to see your parents there, and Ron's. And interesting to see they have some hidden talents, as well!" She said the last in a teasing manner, and Kim blushed slightly.

"Oh, that's no big! Dad showed me a little of his whip skill once at Uncle Slim's ranch! Didn't know he'd taught Mom anything, though. I mean, about whips...uh, pretend I didn't start that sentence at all, 'kay?" Then she switched the subject back, a serious look in her eyes. "Have you been seen yet?"

Benrie nodded. "Yeah, but the study of my X-Rays was interrupted. Seems a busload of seniors citizens from the Assisted-Living community had an accident. Driver left the vehicle for a moment, and one of the seniors took the wheel, and tried to prove they actually were a race car, or maybe big rig, driver, back in the forties! No serious injuries, but at their age, better to check them all out, to be safe! I _have_ been given a painkiller, it just isn't strong enough to dull it all. Back to last night, Father isn't as upset as I thought he'd be, though Frank thinks he can make a case..." She broke off as her brother snorted derisively. "What's that for, Joe?"

He shook his head, a smirk on his face. "Nothing, just don't take Brother Frank's opinion on legal matters too seriously, that's all!"

Both Kim and Bernie frowned. "What do you mean?" the latter asked. "Yeah, I thought he was an honors graduate from Law School!" Kim added.

Joe snorted again. "That's what he told _us_, but the truth isn't so rosy! Listen_, _that job with the US Attorney's office? _So _not going to happen! They haven't been too impressed with the word from the Middleton DA's office concerning his performance, and Dad has started checking back on Frank's academic performance! So, it looks like big brother has two strikes on him!"

Bernie scowled thoughtfully. "Two Strikes?" Kim inquired. Bernie nodded, "Yeah, he was supposed to follow family tradition, get a career going in Business, Law, or Politics! He's already shown a poor head for business, and now law..."

"So, that leaves politics?" Kim prodded her. Bernie shrugged, still retaining a sour look, "I guess...hopefully he didn't cheat or anything in school, or that'll probably be Strike Three!" Joe responded with another derisive snort.

"Please! A little thing like that, Dad can cover up!" He said, shaking his head.

Bernie turned her scowl on him. "Well, you'd know about Dad covering things up, wouldn't you?" She responded, her tone sharp and sarcastic. Joe flinched, then scowled and shot to his feet. "I need to get a soda or something, I'll be back for you!" He snapped, then walked out. Bernie glared after him, then sagged, and immediately winced, putting one hand to her side. "Man! Even taped up..." She licked dry lips.

"Do you want something to drink? I can get you something!" Kim offered. But she was startled when a voice practically at her elbow made her jump. "Did you say you wanted something to drink?" Both of them looked up to see Cameron Geary in a Sunshine Spreader's uniform. "I'll get one for each of you, if you like!"

"Oh!" Kim replied, "Um, sure, that'd be great! Let me give you some money," She dug into her pocket for her wallet, then handed Cam enough for two sodas, if her memory of the prices was correct. "Diet, please, for me." Bernie nodded in agreement with that choice, while shifting her position, trying to get comfortable.

"We may both be sitting here a while, Kim." Kim nodded a morose agreement, then started telling Bernie about her own Halloween experience.

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"I still don't understand why you'd ask me, Mister Lipsky, or why you would think that I'd accept?" Jean Stoppable addressed their unexpected(To say the least!) visitor, who sat on their couch, Hana on one knee.

"Well, you're honest, and you've certainly raised a boy who's choices I could admire, if I was honest with myself. At least the big ones. Some of the ones he's made in his relationship with Kimberley....not that I'm fit to judge! Anyway, I understand you held a City Council seat for some time, and many people then tried to encourage you to run for office yourself, when the lady you filled in for..."

"Ellen Delmonico, when her Guard unit deployed overseas, I finished her term for her. She wasn't able to run for the next term, and I didn't feel like doing so myself." Jean explained, then studied Drakken. Hana had taken hold of the middle finger of the scientist's left hand, and was probably putting some strength into her grip, because Drakken was wincing slightly. "But why would I want to be Deputy Mayor under you, if you're elected?"

"Well, you wouldn't actually be under me for long. You see, I have no illusions about holding office, due to my past record, for very long! In addition, I'll admit that I'm doing this more as a diversion then anything. But don't get me wrong, as long as I'm holding the office, I will do an honest job! Cute child...." He muttered, as he tried to free his finger from Hana. The little girl just gripped harder, however, and Drakken began to look worried. And a bit intrigued. _"What have they been feeding this child?"_

"So, you're saying, you'll leave the office eventually, and leave me in charge?" Jean asked doubtfully. Her husband was absorbed in the football game currently playing, now mercifully a competitive game. Nevertheless, he'd probably remember every word spoken near him later. For instance, sometime that night at dinner, he'd probably ask, "So, you're going to be Mayor of Middleton, dear?" Jean resolved to make sure Ron was informed beforehand, his usual reaction to surprises while eating was not pleasant to behold, and she had an impressionable child to consider now. "I'm not sure I can deal with that, and a young child. Hana, I mean, of course!"

"Others have managed, and you are a very capable woman, Mrs Stoppable!" Drakken responded. Dean Stoppable nodded, though he didn't take his eyes off the TV screen. "And since I am sincere in my intent to do a good job for the people if elected, I am equally sincere in wanting to leave the city in good hands when I go!" Drakken finished with his best sincere smile, a little distracted by Hana's actions. She was now bouncing Drakken's hand up and down, smiling widely.

"Well, I'll have to think about it..." Whatever else Jean Stoppable was going to say, the sound of the front door opening stopped her. Everyone looked up to see an obviously tired Ron walk in, close the door behind him, and then stop dead when he saw Drakken. "Oh, Ronald! We have a guest..." At which point Hana saw Ron, made a happy sound, and broke Drakken's finger. "Oh, Dear!"

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Shego sauntered into the lair, taking note of the tendency of the new guards not to look her in the eye. When she finally reached the main lab, she immediately noticed that Drakken's Death Ray had been used. "Ooookay, what'd I miss?"

One of the regular henchmen answered her, telling her what had happened. "And you let him go out alone?" She promptly exploded. She strode angrily over to the communications console, and sent a call to Drakken. When it connected, her anger was momentarily assuaged by Drakken's concern. "Shego! Are you all right? I was worried!"

"Uh, sure, Doc! I mean, not perfect, but we can talk about that when you get back! Right now I'm more worried about you! How could you go out alone, after what happened here? And..." She peered at the video image, "Are you riding in a minivan?"

"Well, actually, yes, Shego, I am. Had a little accident, broke a finger...oh! Can you pick up the hovercraft at the Stoppable residence?" For a moment, Drakken apparently thought the connection had been broken. "Hello? Shego? Are you sure you're all right?" Then he heard what sounded like a slap over the link. "Shego?"

"I'm fine, Doc, just making sure I'm really awake this time!"

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When Kim and Bernie saw Drakken coming in, accompanied by Jean Stoppable, trailed by Ron, it sent the weirdness quotient a little too high for an immediate reaction. Thus, their mouths were still open when Ron finally noticed them. "KP! Bernie! What are you guys doing here?" Both women's eyes followed Drakken and Jean Stoppable as they walked to the reception window. The crowd of elderly victims hadn't shrunk, but only because those already treated had to wait for a new bus to arrive.

"Ron? What is Drakken doing here?" Kim finally asked in a fierce whisper. Ron grimaced. "Uh, that's a short, but very weird story, and you're more important! Did you hurt your shoulder again?" Ron's concern dampened Kim's curiosity, and she told him about her visitors, or as much as was known. "Ninja Nurses, eh? Have to ask _Sensei_ about them! Let me go make the call!" He left, and Kim kept her eye on Drakken, who did seem to be in pain, holding his hand up, and away from his body.

By the time Ron came back, Bernie's doctor had returned, and taken her back into the ER to talk to. Then Kim's Mother returned as well, as Ron reported the results of his call. "_Sensei_ has heard of them. They do all sorts of covert medical stuff, and don't care what effect their actions have on the target, just as long as they're paid. Weird, they've broken into prisons to give prisoners medicine their jailers wouldn't, even supposedly done surgery like that!" He shook his head, "They'd be _so_ cool to put in a story, but _Sensei_ said I'd better not! He doesn't know much about their operations, but he does say some were caught here in America not too long ago, maybe last year. No details on what they were doing, though."

"Well, that's interesting, maybe Doctor Director can tell you something, Kim?" Anne asked her daughter. But Kim was preoccupied with her own thoughts. "Kim?" Anne repeated. Kim blinked, and looked up. "Mom? When is my appointment with Doctor Cardien?"

Anne was taken aback by Kim's change of topic. "Uh, Wednesday, after school, I'll pick you up and take you over to her offices. But right now, we need to go up and get your MRI done, you're scheduled in about fifteen minutes."

Kim nodded mechanically, but she was obviously thinking of something else. Then she blinked, and looked at Ron. "Please stay here and see how Bernie is when she comes out, 'kay?"

Ron nodded. "Sure, KP! Gonna keep an eye on Drakken, anyway!" Kim smiled, and started to get up, then hesitated. "Short version, what happened to Drakken?"

Ron grinned weakly. "Short version? He offered Mom a job, and Hana broke his finger!"

Kim blinked. "Uh, good for Hana? Or not? _So _wish I hadn't asked, now!" She looked towards her waiting mother, and sighed. "No Big! Just have to try not to let my imagination run away with me before I get the long version, right? Later, Ron."

"Later, KP!" Ron watched her go,then settled himself in the chair as his mother actually went into the ER with Drakken. _"Man, this is __so__ many kinds of weird! But if Drakken's up to something, I'm going to be here to catch him at it!"_

Five minutes later, Cameron Geary put a pillow behind Ron's head as he snored none too softly in his seat.

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"Yeah, my name is Anastasia Black. I would like to make an appointment with Doctor Cardien? Any time this week, I can make time, beyond that....Wednesday? 4:35? Sure, that's fine....listen, I'm not exactly a normal case, I may in fact stretch her Hippocratic oath to the limit...yep, I'm sure you've heard that before...Yes, I'll be there, Thanks Very Much!" Shego hung up the phone and made a face. "That was either the smartest or dumbest thing I've ever done! Well, we'll find out Wednesday, if the world doesn't end, or Drakken doesn't come up with a new scheme!" She sighed, "Or I don't lose my nerve, and cancel!"

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That might have been an unfair tease at the end if anyone's expecting a long plotline about Kim and Shego sharing a therapist. May do that separately, but it will get at least a mention later in this story. Never been in therapy myself, not sure I want to write about it, but may take a shot.

Short chapter, to finish Saturday's events, we'll resume on the characters' Monday.

Until then, please Read and Review.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

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Walking to school Monday morning began normally enough for Kim and Ron. The weather was cool and crisp, with a slight breeze blowing at their backs most of the way, and both found it invigorating. "Man, I never thought I'd miss Brick Flagg, KP! But at least when he quarterbacked, we had fewer problems on offense!" Ron groused.

"Mainly because every time he forgot the play, he tucked it away and ran a keeper, you mean. Which was every other play it seemed. But no one ever pried the ball loose from him, that's for sure!" Kim responded cheerfully. "And he always threw a pass like he was trying to throw it through a brick wall, and I know none of our receivers miss that a bit!"

"Yeah, but six turnovers! I mean, we stank! Lowerton stank just as much, though. You know Bernie kicked for the team once, when she was a junior? I actually thought of asking you to try it, before I remembered your shoulder! By the way, what's the verdict?"

"Did we lose because of a kick, Ron? Again? Oh, the shoulder's weak, too weak for missions! Amazing how far it's weakened in such a short time! And exercise won't be fully effective until my own muscles are healed. Basically, I can use it, but can't put too much strain on it. So, I'm still just as frustrated. By the way, how did the cheer squad look at the game?" Kim bit her lip as she waited for the answer. Ron just shook his head sadly. "Kim, Kim, Really! You know I never pay attention to the cheer squad unless my BFGF is leading it!"

Kim squinted one eye as she regarded him, then smiled and shook her head, "Nice save, _if_ you had been about to be busted! But I really wanted to know how they're doing without me and Bonnie! And I'd rather have a heads-up...what's the matter?" Ron wasn't paying attention, he was looking ahead of them. Kim followed his gaze. "Oh!" About thirty feet ahead of them, Monique and Bonnie were walking together, and chatting in a friendly fashion. "What's that about?" Ron wondered aloud.

Kim shrugged, then winced briefly before looking at her shoulder. "Hey, didn't hurt! Wish I could ditch the sling, but until I find out who my benefactor is, and why he's worried about my recovery going public, I think I'll keep the secret! Told Wade, though, any serious missions, we'll take them! I'll just let you do the heavy lifting!" Ron groaned theatrically, covering his eyes with his hand, and Kim elbowed him lightly in the ribs. "After all, if you're frisky enough to go beard Dementor in his den...are you sure you told me the whole thing? You didn't actually hurt him at all?" Kim sounded doubtful, but Ron also thought he detected a touch of disappointment in her tone.

"Kim, you didn't want me to, so I didn't, simple as that. And, I did get sort of distracted by those alien robots of his. Gave me a couple of ideas!" The flap covering his pants pocket opened, and Rufus stuck his head out to give him a suspicious look.

"Hey, Rufus!" Kim greeted his appearance warmly, "Haven't seen you lately, where have you been?" Inside, she was feeling a bit guilty that she hadn't even noticed Rufus' absence before.

Ron frowned. "You know, all I was told was Wade wanted his help on a confidential project, but neither one has told me anything about it!"

Kim's eyebrows rose, and she regarded Rufus curiously."Oh, Really? Wonder what they've been up to?" Rufus grinned, and ducked back into the depths of Ron's pocket. "That seemed evasive! And what was that look he gave you about?"

"Oh, probably about some promises I made to him regarding the Grand Finale of my Kim Possible stories! But that's months away, I think I have a good dozen or more in me for between now and then! But, what do you think about aliens versus me and you?"

"I think it might be a little over the top, but you're the author, go with whatever works for you! Just don't mention Area 51 again, 'kay?" Kim shuddered, "I don't want that creepy Fed coming around to lecture us on disclosure agreements again!"

Ron shuddered too. "No way! I never want to meet that guy again, I'd almost think _he_ was an alien! In fact I have thought that, come to think of it!"

"Thought of what, Ron?" The sound of Monique's voice made them realize that they'd caught up to Monique and Bonnie, probably because the pair had let them catch up.

"Uh, something I'm not supposed to talk about to people without clearance!" Ron responded hastily. Then he looked at the pair curiously, "Not that it's weird, but...it is kinda weird, why are you two walking together?"

Bonnie smiled widely. "Oh they came out with a new pill, 'Bitch-B-Gone', and I'm on it, so it's safe to walk with me." Kim snorted, and Bonnie shifted her gaze to the redhead. "I recommend it to all my friends and acquaintances!"

Kim rolled her eyes. "Oh, sure, like I ever act like....um, never mind!" She gave a giggling Monique a glare, then looked at Ron, who had suddenly become interested in cloud formations. Then she grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm just so used to disagreeing with you..."

Bonnie's eyes widened in mock outrage. "Oh, sure, blame it on me! No, seriously, K, I've heard some things about the squad I don't like the sound of, Hope and Page may have actually come to blows over something..." Monique and Ron were tuned out for a few minutes as Kim and Bonnie talked shop. They got their attention back, however, when Monique asked Ron, "You going to the debates tonight, or watching them on TV?"

"May have to, if Mister Barkin assigns it as homework. Watch them, that is. Felix isn't going to be over for game night, anyway, relatives in town." He replied.

"I have to watch them, of course!" Bonnie remarked, with a roll of her eyes, "Though I'd rather claw my eyes out! I don't know what possessed dad to run for Mayor, he swore he'd never do politics again after the City Council race against Mrs Delmonico! But someone talked him into it!"

"Drakken's holding a little press conference I hear." Monique commented, "Supposed to be right after school, over by JP Berrymore's."

"Really?" Kim responded, "That might be interesting to see. Maybe he's going to pull out altogether?"

Ron shook his head. "Doubtful, KP! Not after his visit to Mom on Saturday! I can't believe she's actually considering his offer!"

"What are you talking about?" Monique exclaimed. Ron told her about the visit Drakken had paid to the Stoppable home on Saturday. "And Mom insisted we pay the ER bill. Which is fair, sort of, but it's so _weird_!"

"Speaking of the ER, did you two hear that Bernie is out of commission for one or two weeks?" Kim asked. They hadn't, so she filled them in on what she knew. "So the question is, who's going to fill in this time?"

"Um, Mister Barkin has a merit badge in First Aid..." Ron broke off at the appalled looks from all three girls, "But, he isn't qualified to be school nurse! Not like Professor Dementor filling in as Chemistry teacher or something!"

Kim's eyes widened, then narrowed suspiciously. "Ron Stoppable, please tell me you didn't..."

Ron looked confused, then alarmed. "What? Oh! No, KP, Honest! I mean, when he mentioned needing money, the job vacancy popped into my head, and a random thought made a mad dash for my speech center, but I cut it off at the pass, nothing passed my lips about the job! I swear!"

Kim continued to look skeptical, but she nodded. "Okay, but I still think you're hiding something from that trip of yours, Ron."

"Not a thing, KP, honest! I've told you everything you need to know!" Starting to turn away, the phrase 'need to know' made Kim regard him once again through narrowed eyes. He swallowed nervously, "Come on Kim, when you look at me like that, you make me nervous even when I'm innocent!" That drew a derisivie snort, but Kim evidently chose to drop the matter. Then she suddenly took a deep breath and let it out slowly, before turning to Bonnie and Monique, after making sure no one else was close.

"Listen, guys, I'm telling you this because you may hear about it anyway. It's not a big secret, but please don't spread it around!" She hesitated, then grimaced and went through with it. "I'll be going to see a shrink, starting Wednesday. I've been having problems since a mission I had last year...I think I buried something nasty in my subconscious, and I need to find out what it is!"

Both girls were shocked for a moment, both by the news, and Kim's willingness to share it. Bonnie especially was caught off guard, and hurried to respond, "Um, K, don't trust me _too_ much, I haven't gotten rid of the old Bonnie completely, yet! I don't trust myself not to do another flip-flop on you, all of you!"

"No Big, Bonnie! It'll get around sooner or later, and you're not the only one who's hurt me with words on purpose!" Kim reassured her. "Don't tell anyone on the squad but Tara, though. She keeps secrets when asked, the others..." Kim waggled her hand.

Bonnie nodded. "Lucky for me that Tara keeps secrets! Otherwise I'd probably have been run out of school on a rail, with a thick coat of mystery meat and any feathers that came to hand!" She gave Monique an amused look when she snorted in amusement, "I kid you not! At least, that's what I'd have voted to do to me, if I was someone else!" Then she looked at Kim, and became serious, "And if it was something bad enough for you to admit the need for psychiatric help, Kim, it must be pretty bad, hope you work through it."

Kim was surprised, but recognized Bonnie's words as sincere, and was touched. And more then a bit embarrassed. "Thanks, Bonnie!" She replied, blushing slightly.

"All pulling for you, Girlfriend!" Monique added, and hugged Kim. Which made her turn even redder. "Thanks, Mon." She whispered. She sniffed, and a Kleenex magically appeared, courtesy of Ron. She gave him a smiling, but slightly dubious look. "Not from the Rufus pocket, right?" A sharp "Hey!" came from the pocket in question.

Ron smacked his forehead. "Just one time...okay, three times, and she never lets me forget it!" He proclaimed in mock despair. Kim punched his arm, then looked at her watch. "Oh! We have to get moving! First Bell in ten minutes!"

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"This is very frustrating!" Drakken snarled, spinning away from his microscope. "More for you then me, I'm sure!" he added as an afterthought.

"Well, Doy!" Shego responded. She was laying on a scanning table, wearing sweat pants and a loose smock in a sickening(to her) shade of pink. "I hate being helpless!" Then she blushed slightly at Drakken's incredulous look. "All, right, all right, too much the Drama, right? But without my plasma, I'm....half the person I usually am!"

"Nonsense! More like three-quarters as effective, not one half! You don't depend on your plasma nearly as much as you did when you first gained the power! You've developed many other talents to supplement it." Drakken spoke over his shoulder, as he studied the results of another of the series of tests he'd performed on Shego, trying to determine the exact method by which her powers had been neutralized. The scientist's left forefinger had been splinted to his broken middle finger to support it, and he had yet to get used to it. Already today he'd banged it painfully a half dozen times, and if Sunday had been any indication, he'd be doing it a few more times during the day.

Now he gave voice to another question that had been bothering him since Saturday. "I wonder why Kim Possible was in the emergency room when I was there? Along with that young woman from the school. The nurse, you remember?"

Shego grimaced. "Yeah, I remember her!" Then she rolled her eyes, and bit the bullet. "In fact, I'm responsible for her being there, I'm afraid!" And she recounted for Drakken her own experiences from Friday night and Saturday morning. Up to now she had only told him of her encounter with Alpha, and it's apparent consequences. They'd made a brief effort to work on the problem on Sunday, but they had been stymied by Drakken's discomfort, and the attempt was brought to a sudden end when Shego had nearly given herself a heart attack with her own powers out of frustration.

"I never would have pried, Shego, but I did wonder sometimes if you had had bad nights. You hid it well, but some mornings your snarky behavior didn't cover up the fact that you were worried, or if you don't mind my saying so, afraid? You can get up, now, my dear, we're done scanning."

Shego breathed a sigh of relief and sat up. "No, I don't mind. This time, anyway, don't make a habit of it!" She gave Drakken a half-hearted smirk. "So, any idea at all what did this to me?"

Drakken scowled. "It's not a drug, and if it's nanotechnology, it's a new type to me! Not all the scans have been analyzed yet, though. Something might still show up. In the meantime, stay around the lair, in case the word's gotten out that you're vulnerable. Not that you are, but some fools will think so and probably take a shot at you, perhaps even literally!"

Shego gave him an 'oh please' look as she hopped off the table. As she opened her mouth to deliver a proper retort, however, someone cleared their throat. The pair both looked to the entrance, and saw the chief of the new security men standing there. "Yes? What do you want?" Drakken asked, scowling.

The man cleared his throat before answering. "Sir, this is going to sound rather weird, but one of my men, in town to buy some supplies, stopped for lunch at Cow 'n Chow. Well, he's been approached by someone he describes as a 'low life', who apparently wants to buy some of your DNA." He finished with a helpless shrug. Drakken and Shego exchanged astonished looks. "Well, that's a new one on me!" Drakken finally remarked.

"Is the guy still there, and does he know your man called anyone?" Shego asked the security man.

"Yes, and No, in that order. My man is waiting for a couple of the others to join him, so he has a perfect excuse to hang around there for a while, and he hasn't said no to the other guy yet."

"Good! Think I'll take a little flight into town!" Shego remarked. She held up her hand to forestall any protest by Drakken. "I'll be fine, Doc, you work on your debate, and whatever you're going to say at your press conference."

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"So, what's the word on the chickfight?" Ron asked as he sat down at the cafeteria table his BFGF was seated at, along with Monique. Monique shot him a sharp look, and Kim rolled her eyes. "Ron, a little more sensitivity here? It was over Josh, not squad problems. Though after last year and this, Josh is becoming a squad problem!" she concluded in an exasperated tone.

"Still claiming he can't bring himself to hurt a girl's feelings?" Monique asked skeptically.

"Pretty much! And no, even I'm having a hard time believing it anymore!" Kim replied, just as the Kimmunicator went off. She fished it out and switched it on, to find a split screen featuring Wade and Doctor Director. "Hey Wade, Ma'am, what's the sitch?"

"Several things, Kimberley!" Doctor Director replied, "First, some good news, my brother has been safely delivered to a place it's unlikely his organization can spring him from, if they can even locate him to do it!"

Kim smiled. "That _is_ good news! Unless of course, someone competent takes over WWEE in his place?"

Betty snorted. "Fat chance of that! Even if they did, they'll spend several months trying to make sense of my brother's paranoid system designs and password protections! No, I think WWEE will be spinning it's wheels for a while, Kim! Wish it was all good news, though. Agent Alpha is gone, I'm afraid. Odd thing is, he seems to have been abducted from our custody rather then rescued!"

"Abducted?" Ron mumbled around a mouthful of cheese covered cardboard disguised as pizza, "By who?" The question made Betty look distinctly uncomfortable before she replied, "Well, they appear to have been...ninjas."

Kim's and Monique's eyes widened as Ron commented, "Lot of those running around lately!"

"Yes, well, they're not getting away with it on my watch!" Betty snapped. Then she calmed a bit. "Also, an analysis of that nanotech taken from your ears has turned up no leads as to the manufacturer, Kim. Sometimes you can recognize some kind of 'signature' in their construction, but these don't match up with any we've investigated before, sorry. Whichever villain put it in you, for whatever reason, the answer still eludes us! I have to go now, Kimberley, merely wanted to give you a head's up. Take care of yourself, and you too, Ronald."

"Thank you Ma'am!" Kim responded, before Betty vanished from the screen, which was all Wade now. Wade with a thoughtful look on his face. "What up, Wade?" Wade snapped out of his musing with a sheepish grin. "Oh, just had an idea, I'm going to run it down later. Right now, wanted to tell you about that stuff in your shoulder! It's amazing, or at least potentially so."

Kim noted Monique's curious look as she responded. "Amazing how, Wade? As I understand it, those cells are temporarily doing the job of my regular muscles while they heal fully, taking the strain of any movements I make off of them?"

Ron suddenly felt the urge to make a scan of the room, but he relaxed when he spotted Buzz sitting on the far side of the cafeteria. Then he did a double take. Buzz was sitting with the Tweebs. _"No good can come of that!"_

"That's right in your case, Kim! But these cells can be programmed to temporarily reinforce healthy muscles as well, allowing you to exert yourself a great deal more without danger of injury, though only for a few seconds. Fifteen to twenty, if you believe one optimistic report. They form temporary 'chains' interwoven with your own muscle tissue to do it. But again, they can't sustain them for long, and need to recover before repeating the process."

"That would be so cool, if only the good guys had them!" Ron remarked enthusiastically. Kim's face was a little more grim. "Yeah, but how likely is that? What else can they do, Wade?"

"All sorts of things! They can reinforce a damaged muscle, like with you, but that includes the heart, think of that! They could keep someone going until they were surgically treated. But they can be programmed to hinder the body's functions, too! But I may be getting ahead of myself, these things are still supposed to be in the experimental stage at the moment. Someone must have gotten hold of an advanced batch to use on you." A long intake of soda followed that speech.

Kim frowned, shaking her head slightly. "That's not necessarily good news, Wade! I'm still afraid someone took a risk to get this stuff to me, maybe a serious one! Who's working on this kind of research?"

"Several people, or groups, at the moment, but none have claimed any results close to this! I'll get a list, but that will only cover those rumored to be into it. And the one or two organizations that have actually released any public acknowledgement that they're working on anything like it."

"'kay Wade. Anything else?"

"Oh, yeah! Your Mom wanted me to let you know that a fairly big name TV reporter contacted her today, and wants to set up an interview with you about your mission last year."

Kim made a face. "How can I give an interview about something I'm not even sure I remember clearly?"

"Well, it wouldn't be until December. The interview, I mean! They're trying to get interviews with everyone else involved as well, so you might not get much air time in the final program." A platter bearing a sandwich which appeared larger then Wade's head briefly obscured the screen before it was set down in front of him, and his mother's face appeared. "And how are you feeling, Kim?"

"Just fine, Mrs Load! Physically, anyway!" Kim responded with a smile, before becoming serious again, "I suppose you heard what happened to Bernie?"

Mrs Load shook her head, "Oh, I'm going to go over and have a word with that girl! Running around like that with one broken rib, and another cracked! She's lucky she didn't damage a lung. That sort of injury immobilizes most people, because they listen when their body tells them not to move, but others...I tell you it's true, Doctors and Nurses make the worst patients! See you later, young people!" Mrs Load left, and Wade started in on his lunch. Kim cut the connection so as not to watch him wolfing down that monster sandwich.

"Well, she's right there, as far as Doctors and Nurses are concerned!" Monique remarked.

Kim nodded ruefully. "I know! When I was eleven, Dad had to practically chain Mom to the bed to keep her from going to work once when she was sick! She said it'd pass in an hour or so, then was sick the whole week!" She cringed slightly at the memory, "I had to handle the Tweebs for the whole week, I swear that was the closest I've ever been to being an only child..." She suddenly broke off, eyes losing focus. Ron and Monique both looked at her with concern, and Ron was just reaching out to touch her on the shoulder when she shuddered violently and snapped out of it. "Whoa! I don't know what just happened...Sorry, guys."

"Don't worry about that, Kim, where did you go just then?" Ron asked.

Kim grimaced. "Nowhere...almost somewhere, but not quite, if you know what I mean." She shook her head, "That's probably something for later, with Doctor Cardien! For now, let's concentrate on the present! Someone with access to this technology, or someone with a lot of money....Junior? Why did he pop into my head?"

"Mister 'Karma-on-the-brain'? Well, you did say someone with money...what? Oh! Bonnie told me..." and Monique told them what Bonnie had told her about the aftermath of the balloon rescue. Kim was puzzled, Ron skeptical. "You think Junior can even understand the concept of karma?"

"It might be more interesting to know what _his_ concept of karma is." Kim remarked. "I saved him....maybe he did this to balance things, but why this time?"

"You're right, without knowing how, or if, Junior understands karma, there's no telling what he's thinking, if he's even involved." Monique opined. Then she looked at the clock. "Well, dig in quick, Kim! We've talked away most of lunch period again!"

Kim studied her tray with distaste. "That might be a good thing! Maybe I'll wait 'til after school to get something in my stomach."

"At JP Berrymore's Pizza Party-torium?" Monique asked archly.

"No, thanks!" Kim replied. "Bueno Nacho! Though I may make it a take-out order, I do think I want to hear what Drakken has to say this afternoon!"

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By four-thirty there was quite a crowd gathered in one corner of the large parking lot in front of JP Berrymore's Pizza Party-torium. The management had made it clear that the lot had to be cleared by five, five-thirty at the most, when their business would hopefully getting into it's peak time.

There was a sizable contingent from the 'Lipsky for Mayor' committee, none of whom had ever actually met their own candidate. Reporters only numbered a dozen or so, only four of them from TV stations, all from the Tri-City area. Police officers from the MPD were present, one Sergeant and five officers. The remainder of the crowd were just the curious, and included Kim, Ron, and surprisingly, both Doctors Possible.

"Mom, Dad? Why are you here?" Kim asked as she and Ron came upon the couple.

"Can't we be interested in local politics, Sweetheart?" Her mother responded, "Or just curious as to what Drew's going to do next?"

Kim regarded her dubiously. "Yeah, sure, Mom! Of course you can!" she replied neutrally. She led Ron a short distance away from her parents. "No way they could have found out I was going to be here, is there?"

"None that I can think of, KP!" Ron answered so naturally that Kim knew he was telling the truth, and hadn't informed on her. The fact he'd have done it out of concern for her might have mitigated things, but she'd still have been tweaked.

The crowd becoming interested in something in the sky distracted her from any thoughts of parental surveillance. She wasn't surprised to see a hovercraft approaching, Drakken at the controls. In fact, she realized it was the same one he'd flown her to the lair in the day she had her breakdown.

He made a smooth landing, but Kim noticed some people backing up quite a distance as he did. She wondered how many read Ron's stories. Drakken had only just started using the hovercraft just before they first fought him, and his piloting skills had certainly been lacking at the time. But he had improved in real life, far faster then in Ron's fictional world. Kim wouldn't credit him as being as good as Shego, and didn't think he'd ever be, but he was pretty good.

He shut down the engine and emerged, dressed in a dark suit and tie. He smiled at the people, though refrained from waving. Some polite applause was started by the committee people, and he acknowledged that with a half-bow, then held up his hands for silence. "Thank you all very much for coming, I basically wanted to announce a few things before attending tonight's debates. Not going to answer questions on any subject other then what I'm about to tell you, we don't have much time before the proprietor boots us off the property!"

That drew a few chuckles, and some confused looks from those who didn't know about the time limit, or were confused as to how long it was, or Drakken thought it was. "The first thing I want to do is to make it clear that I _am_ a serious candidate, contrary to some things you may have heard. I didn't campaign, I'll admit, but I have kept up on all the main issues, I assure you!"

"Now, I would like to announce that I have asked Mrs Jean Stoppable to be Deputy Mayor, and she has just accepted!" Ron's eyes widened, then he covered his eyes with his hand as he groaned. "I tell you this because there is some question as to whether I can finish my elected term, do to certain legal matters. If I can't I'm confident that Mrs Stoppable can complete my term, and will act in the best interests of the citizens of Middleton!" That drew another smattering of applause, while the reporters talked among themselves.

Drakken was about to mention Steve Barkin when he spotted an unexpected figure in the crowd. His smile faded, to be replaced by a puzzled frown. "Wilhelm? Whatever are you doing here?" Kim and Ron snapped alert, and looked to where the diminutive figure of Professor Dementor, wearing a business suit, while still retaining his trademark helmet, was stepping out of the crowd of curious onlookers.

"AS IF YOU DID NOT KNOW WHY I AM HERE!" Dementor bellowed, loudly enough to make the crowd draw back around him, as if he was going to explode. He stood there for a moment with a triumphant smile on his face, then it suddenly faded. "Vait! Perhaps you don't know vhy, specifically, after all! Vell, in dat case, I shall remind you of the reason FOR ME TO BE HERE!" He began fumbling around in his coat, while Drakken shrugged, a confused and slightly apprehensive look on his face.

"You put this on _mein_ system, so people would see it, and think I was a PERVERT!" Ron's eyes widened as he heard this. Dementor pulled out a rolled up sheet of paper, unrolled it, and held it up for everyone to see. Drakken blinked in shock. "What makes you think I would want you declared a pervert, Wilhelm?" He asked reasonably, "I think you'd be better served finding out just who took that picture of Miss Possible!" For it was indeed a printout of the photo of Kim after the Lake Michigan mission.

Ron tensed, then breathed a sigh of relief, leaning close to Kim to whisper, "I'm _so _glad I told you about that picture yesterday!"

Kim nodded, face blank. "Yep, that was a good idea, but _I'm_ not the one you need to worry about, this time." She watched the TV crews and photographers recording the image, and sighed quietly.

The hairs on the back of Ron's neck stood on end as the blood drained from his face. He slowly turned to look over his shoulder, to meet the combined glares of both of Kim's parents. His head snapped back around to face forward. "Kim, promise me that when I'm gone, you'll go on without me, and find someone else to give your heart to?"

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Well, going to leave Ron hanging for now, and post as is. Of course, there's no chance of a fatal outcome here,is there?

Please Read and Review.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

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Shego was frustrated. Watching Drakken's little press conference from a distance had seemed a good idea initially, when all she expected him to do was make a speech and answer or evade one or two questions. But now that things were typically taking a turn to the weird side, she wished she was close enough to hear what was going on.

Not that she was having too much trouble interpreting some things. Dementor's appearance, then the dramatically revealed picture, which she couldn't make out clearly, but now guessed was of Kim. Mainly because Stoppable was now standing in a brace that would have done credit to a Guardsman in front of Buckingham Palace, while Shego could almost swear the air separating him from Kim's parents was shimmering as if hotter then the air around it. _"Buffoon take a naughty pic of Kimmie, and Dementor got hold of it? Nah! No way that could have happened, must be reading too much into things!" _

Shego was currently in disguise, having spent the afternoon tailing the lowlife who had been after Doctor Drakken's DNA. He'd offered the guards quite a nice sum of money for a few hairs, to be specific. That smelled to Shego like a frame-up kind of sitch. Unless it was Amy, then anything could be behind it. _"Did she actually mutter something about a Drakken/Naked Mole Rat hybrid when she was soused at Christmas last year?" _Shego shuddered at the thought, and resumed watching the shenanigans in progress across the street. _"All I got for my troubles was hearing him call up someone named 'Del' and report that he hadn't been successful yet. We may have to let him have what he wants and follow him to find out who hired him."_

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"Wilhelm, why would I want people to think you're a pervert? Those sort of pranks we play on each other are our own private business, we agreed on that, remember?" Drakken was saying reasonably. He noticed that the press was taking pictures of the picture, and felt a brief pang of sympathy for Kim. Why, he wasn't sure. She'd brought about the situation herself with her plan to thwart the theft, and Drakken had ended up with recurring back pain as a result. Maybe it was that it was just one more blow piled on the teenager when she was already down. Not that the picture was all that bad, but that could be partly because Dementor's printout was not the best quality. If her undergarments had gotten soaked, then...Drakken banished those thoughts quickly, and returned his full attention to Dementor.

"Vell..." The diminutive scientist was suspicious, but nodding slightly, "Dat's true, but who else would have done it?" No one noticed Ron's fidgeting, except Kim's parents. The boy suddenly steeled himself, and turned to face them. "Mr Doctor P, Mrs Doctor P, let me explain, please?" He pleaded quietly. After a moment, they both nodded, still scowling.

"Well I don't know, Wilhelm, who else would want to sully your reputation? Aren't you in some sort of legal battle with your sister, for instance?" Drakken suggested.

Dementor's eyes widened, then narrowed again as he nodded, "_Ja_, dat is true! Mind you, I don't have much of a chance, but...Myron did upload those photos of _Fraulein _Shego, so...." Drakken flinched at the mention of the Shego photos. If they were getting wider distribution, Cousin Eddie was going to have to find a _very_ deep hole to live in, when he got out of the hospital. Then his attention switched to two men approaching Dementor. They were very obviously law enforcement of some kind.

The larger of the two addressed the diminutive tyrant, who hadn't noticed them until then, "Professor Wilhelm Dementor? I'm Special Agent Rusk and this is Special Agent Hill, Homeland Security. Tell me, Professor, what Port of Entry did you enter this country through on this visit of yours?"

Dementor's expression shifted to panic, and beads of sweat began to form on his exposed face, despite the cool air. "Ah! Well, in point of fact, um, I used a little invention of mine that....err, well, you see..."

"Do you have your passport with you, Professor?" Agent Rusk cut him off, gazing sternly down on the German supervillain.

"Passport?" Dementor patted all his pockets, "Er, I may have left it in my desk...back in Germany?" He ended feebly. Drakken was doing his best not to smile widely at his old rival's discomfiture. He noticed Ron huddled with the Possible adults, then glanced around and frowned slightly. Where had Kim gone?

"I'm afraid you're going to have to come with us, Professor, and explain this 'little invention' of yours, while you're at it!" Rusk took Dementor by one arm, Hill the other, and began to lead him to a waiting SUV. "No rocket pack this time, Wilhelm?" Drakken called after him.

Dementor turned his head to glare back over his shoulder at Drakken, "Vat! Under a tailored suit? Are you mad?"

"And that's the only reason, I swear!" Ron was finishing his story to Kim's parents, speaking in a low but urgent voice, "I just wanted to capture that image of her, right then, just to remember, honestly! I never meant for it to get on Dementor's system, I just screwed up, again!"

The angry glare had subsided to looks of disapproval, Anne's milder then James'. "Ron, I may understand why you did it, but I can't help being angry that it came out now, with Kim..." Anne spoke softly, before Ron interrupted.

"I know, I know! On the way back from Germany, I swear I heard Mister Barkin's voice, saying something from football practice! 'Don't pile on, it's bad sportsmanship!' And that's why I told Kim about it yesterday, admitted the whole thing, so I wouldn't 'pile on' to her problems! And look what happened! I thought I made it clear to Dementor that that picture had better vanish! But, I also may have helped put the idea in his head that someone deliberately put those pictures on his system, so maybe I'm partially to blame for this, too." He shrugged helplessly, then noticed James' look had become sterner again.

"Pictures, plural, Ronald?" He asked. But the subject changed abruptly when Anne suddenly asked in a worried voice, "Where did Kim go?"

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"Shego?"

"GAH!" The pale thief jumped when the voice came from right next to her. Her head whipped around to find Kim standing there, a bemused expression on her face. "How did you do that? I didn't even see you leave the crowd over there!"

Kim smiled faintly and shrugged. "I had to get away from them in order to do some thinking. Then I saw you over here, and wanted to ask you about some things." She spoke in such a mild voice, lacking any emotional inflection, that Shego gaped. _"I'm her nemesis! And I'm supposed to be in disguise! She's....something's not right about her, Doctor D was right." "_Um, what are you thinking about, Princess?"

"Ninjas, at the moment." Kim quietly replied, as she turned to look back across the street at the press conference.

"Ninjas, riiiight! Oh, wait! You mean Stoppable's friends?" Shego wondered if Kim was going to go 'walkabout' again, like the night Drakken had taken her to the lair.

Kim shook her head. "No, these do medical things to you, without you knowing it." Shego cringed a bit, and was about to humor the girl, when a nagging memory stopped her. _"Wait a minute, I think I've heard about something like that before!" _Meanwhile, Kim continued talking. "They visited me once, don't know when, and put some stuff in me that was supposed to induce a coma on command, and then sustain it for as long as desired, after which the nanobots causing it would have broken down, leaving no traces behind. Then they visited me a second time, and put something different in my shoulder, to let me use it normally while it heals."

Trying to process all this information, Shego asked the first question to pop into her head. "Something different?" _"Why didn't she keep the shoulder thing a secret? Might have given her the element of surprise with someone."_

Kim nodded. "Wade called it biotech. Intelligent cells or something, that can be programmed to do lots of things, good or bad, for a person. They're very hard to detect, if you don't know what you're looking for." That caught Shego's attention, but Kim continued before she could ask any questions. "And now Doctor Director says Agent Alpha was abducted by ninjas, she thinks against his will, and I wondered if that's a coincidence?"

"_Hello!" _Shego tried to conceal her interest as much as possible. "Kimmie, you say this stuff is difficult to detect? Do you think these ninjas made it themselves?" _"And abducted Alpha because he used it without permission, or stole it?" _But Kim just shrugged, and Shego sighed in disappointment. Then they were distracted by the sound of Ron's voice, and looked up see him dashing across the road, followed by the Doctors Possible. "KP! What's going on? Why did you wander off like that?"

"She wanted to get away from all the noise you were making so she could think, Stoppable!" Shego snapped. Startled, Ron tripped on the curb and went down on one knee as he gawked at her. "SHEGO?!"

"_Well, my disguise worked on someone!" _Shego glared at Ron as Kim offered him a hand up. "Yeah, Shego! Just having a conversation here, Stoppable, don't get your boxers in a bunch!" She said this more for the benefit of the Doctors Possible, who arrived with scowls on their faces. James stood there with his arms crossed, studying the thief, while Anne took Kim by the shoulders. "Kim, are you all right?" she asked with unconcealed concern.

"Sure, Mom. Just asking...was going to ask Shego if she ever heard of those medical ninjas before. And then....asking her opinion on something." Kim sighed, "But that one required privacy, so it'll have to wait." Anne blinked, while Shego raised one eyebrow curiously. When everyone's attention turned to her, though, she shifted her stance uneasily.

"Um, I may have heard something about those ninjas before, but not sure when or where, right now." She shrugged, "But now I have a question, if you don't mind? This stuff that was put in Kim's shoulder? Is there anyway to detect it?" She almost winced when she saw the interest that generated in Ron's and the Doctors' eyes. Kim however seemed alarmingly indifferent. Her lips were moving very slightly, her gaze unfocused. _"She's either very distracted by her own thoughts, or needs to sleep in a padded cell tonight. And now I'll never get any sleep until I find out what she wanted to talk about, Dammit!" _

"We're still not clear on that, Shego. We need a little more information. The visitors left us some information, but we're still verifying all of it." Anne answered politely. When Shego looked puzzled, she explained about the flash drive. Then wondered how good an idea _that_ was when she saw how interested Shego suddenly was.

At that point a distraction occurred when they heard applause across the street, and Drakken's hovercraft rose into the air high enough to clear traffic, then crossed over the street and descended next to them. Just as he did, Kim's Kimmunicator went off, which snapped her out of her daze immediately.

"Need a ride back to the lair, Shego?" Drakken asked his associate. Before she could answer, Kim spoke up, even as she keyed the Kimmunicator on. "Doctor Drakken, I'd really like to talk to you about something. Go, Wade!"

"What? Drakken's there? Oh, yeah, I got something on that nanotech from your head, and I feel like an idiot for not getting it before! When Doctor Director said they compared it to all the nanotech they'd dealt with before, it suddenly occurred to me that some stuff didn't go to GJ, that we've encountered! So I ran some tests of my own, and think I made a match!"

Kim's brow furrowed. "Didn't go to GJ? Then it wasn't a supervillain...oh, no, the Nanomoths?"

Wade nodded happily. "You got it! Not one hundred percent conclusive, but I have proof that the Nanomoths were probably made by the same person who made the coma-inducing nanites!"

Ron promptly perked up. "OH! I know who it is, then!" he exclaimed, then hedged a bit, "Maybe...possibly..._if_ Dementor told me the truth! He said those Nanomoths were made by Herman Bortel, Cyrus Bortel's son! He's a student at M.I.S.T. Right now!" This revelation generated exclamations from both James Possible and Drakken.

"A Mistie was responsible for that incident?"

"Cyrus Bortel's son, hmmm? Chip off the old block, it seems."

Kim just took the news quietly, and nodded. "Then we have to go talk to Herman Bortel, Ron!"

"Yeah, we sure do! I'm going to ask...hold it KP! I don't think you should go, you don't seem yourself right now!" Anne and James both added their agreement with Ron's comment, causing Kim to scowl slightly.

"I'm fine! And this is my problem, remember? So, I'm going to go see this guy, and find out why he did what he did, though I already have an idea." Kim's low-key response did nothing to allay her parents' worry. She didn't even raise her voice. "I'll be fine, Ron will be with me, there shouldn't be any problems."

Wade now spoke up. He'd been typing furiously since Ron's mention of Herman Bortel. "Got him, Kim! He's a sophomore, and living off campus. He was in a frat last year, but not this semester. No record of misbehavior to explain it, however. Want his address?"

Kim smiled slightly. "Please and Thank You!" Ron had gotten a bit nervous for some reason, and now looked around to see that the press was watching them from across the street, having obviously watched Drakken's movements. "Guys, we're being watched!"

"Err, Kimberley..." Drakken spoke up, "If you're insistent on going, and really need to talk to me, I can give you and Stoppable a ride there. We can discuss whatever is bothering you on the way."

Kim responded without hesitation, which caused Ron to look even more closely at his girlfriend, almost as if trying to see if she was real, or some kind of syntho-drone. "Thank You, that's a good idea." Kim replied to the offer, "We'd better get going, I'd like to make it home in time for dinner." She made to climb in to the hovercraft without waiting for anyone else to comment, and Shego found herself giving the girl a hand before she realized it. Ron, however, she let climb in on his own, quelling his attempt to call 'shotgun' with a glare. She climbed in last, giving Drakken a questioning look. He just shrugged in reply, and lifted into the air.

The Doctors Possible both watched them fly away with bemused expressions. Finally Anne turned to James and remarked, "Sometimes I wish life was as simple as it is in Ron's stories."

James looked confused. "Ron's stories? They're hardly simple! All sorts of teenage angst and supervillain business colliding with each other!"

"Exactly!" Anne replied, "Come on, have to get home and start supper for the boys, and hopefully Kim." She started towards where she'd parked the minivan. James watched her for a second, still confused. Then the light dawned. "Oh! I guess she has a point." But as he got into the driver's seat, something else nagging at his subconscious suddenly surfaced. "Just a minute...that address..."

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Shego sat frowning with her arms crossed, gaze shifting from Drakken to Ron, and back again. Kim was directly behind her, and she didn't want to bother turning that far around. Finally unable to keep silent, and unwilling to discuss 'business' in front of the two teens, she finally chose a safe topic. "So, what happened to Pretzel Man back there?"

Drakken looked momentarily perplexed. "Who? Oh, Wilhelm! It seems someone tipped off Homeland Security that he had one of his Transportulator modules here in Middleton, in his secret hideout."

"Room 3J West, Bellington Courts Apartments." Kim chimed in. She seemed to be enjoying the flight, studying the passing terrain below with interest.

Drakken snickered. "Yes, _that _secret hideout! Anyway, they must have been monitoring it, and picked him up for illegal entry into the country."

Shego regarded him with a sardonic grin on her face. "Gee, I wonder who tipped them off?" Drakken shrugged, affecting an air of innocence.

"Not the best thing to be reminded of, that thingamajig!" Ron remarked sourly.

Drakken smiled. "Why? Because I tried to trick you and Kimberley into stealing it?" His face soured, "Of course, if I'd known how big the thing was, I'd have used that trick for something more reasonable! But when he bragged about it to his old classmates, he claimed it was 'portable'!"

Shego snorted. "Well, if one has a flatbed truck and a portable winch, you can handle one! Though I'm glad you didn't waste my time with it! I'd have been mad as hell to give up my vacation time and then find out you wanted me to steal something the size of a set of double-wide telephone booths! Stoppable's version was funnier, anyway!"

Drakken nodded. "Yes, at least I was partially successful in print! Though I did wonder, Ronald, why did you credit me with fooling you two so well in your story? Oh, and was the talent show part of the story true?"

"Just wanted to be fair, just that one time, made for a better story, anyway. As to the contest, not so much! My comedy routine bombed, and Bonnie's performance tanked, too." Ron replied, sounding bored. "But I had her do much better in the story, needed Kim to have _some_ serious competition!"

"She wanted her father to see it. When he didn't make it, it took something out of her." Kim remarked absently. Ron looked at her and winced, apparently he hadn't known that fact before. Kim then looked at Drakken, "Did Professor Dementor ever correct the faults in that machine?"

Drakken smirked, and shook his head. "Oh, my, no! As long as it worked, after a fashion, he couldn't be bothered! On he went to new projects!"

Shego snorted again. "Oh, yeah, it works _real _good! You just can't wear any metal, or have any metal in your body, for pretty much the same reason you don't put it in the microwave! Oh, and it doesn't work during peak calling hours, go figure!" She added sarcastically, then paused, frowning, "How did he get one of those things to the third floor of an apartment building? Dismantle it and assemble it on site?"

"Most likely, yes!" Drakken replied. Then he looked over his shoulder at Kim. "Wasn't there something you wanted to talk about, Kimberley?"

Kim started, and looked embarrassed. "Sorry, I forgot! Let me start with the ninjas..." She told Drakken basically the same story she'd told Shego, while Ron scowled at her candor. Draken glanced at Shego when the biotech was mentioned, and nodded thoughtfully. When Kim was finished, he considered the information for a moment before replying.

"Well, to begin, _I_ didn't hire these 'ninjas', if you're wondering. As to the plan of whoever did? I'll admit I'm puzzled! If you found the nanotech so easily the first time, there seems little doubt it would have been found if you simply lapsed into a coma, or if you did because of something one of the supervillain community did!"

"_If_ it was done by one of you guys, sure, but what if it wasn't?" Ron responded. That drew a nod of agreement from Drakken

"And another thing..." Shego added, "What if whoever it is doesn't know that they'd find it? After all, if he only goes by Stoppable's stories, he probably isn't all that sure what they _can_ find. After all, that gadget of hers doesn't do everything it does in the stories!"

"That's true, the functions Ron attributes to the Kimmunicator in his writing are actually carried out by four different devices." Kim remarked, "And I don't always carry them all, unless I have my backpack. So, whoever it is, they may not know we'd even look for something like that, or find it if we did."

Drakken nodded in agreement. "But they would know to hire these, um, what should we call them?"

"Ron's 'Ninja Nurses'?" Kim answered with a smile. The smile negated any embarrassment Ron might have felt, he was happy to see Kim showing a little more animation. Drakken raised a querulous eyebrow, then replied dryly, "Yes, those people! Do we know anything more about them? I've never personally heard of them myself."

Kim shook her head, and replied as she again watched the scenery below. They were circling M.I.S.T. already, so Drakken was obviously stalling to gain more information. "Nor had we, though a reliable source says this is their usual business, doing medical things to people that for some reason requires stealth. I'm kinda surprised there's enough business of that kind for someone to specialize in it. Oh, our source says some of them were caught on one of their missions recently, I was going to ask Doctor Director about it, and forgot." She frowned as she remembered the omission. "Can't afford to start forgetting things like that, just because I'm trying to forget something bad!" she muttered, then her brow furrowed as she considered what she'd said.

"For the record, I don't think what's going on has anything to do with anyone in the 'supervillain' business, Kimberley." Drakken told her, then shocked Shego by bringing up the attempt to steal some of his DNA. She'd barely recovered from that when he turned to her and asked, "What did you learn trailing the man?"

"Uh---well, not much, um, he wanted to get some hair, I'm thinking to plant somewhere, frame-up kind of thing?" Shego winced inwardly at her own lame delivery. "Unless it's Amy, in which case..." She shrugged.

"We should be on the look-out for blue Naked Mole Rats with delusions of grandeur?" Drakken quipped, and Shego's eyes widened, but then she smirked and shot back, "And that's something to take lightly?" Drakken snorted as he began a gradual descent towards their destination. In the back, Rufus stuck his head out of Ron's pocket and eyed the two suspiciously, before slowly nodding and withdrawing again.

Kim spoke up. "I agree with you, Doctor Drakken, I don't think this is supervillain business, I think it's to do with the election." Ron, who had briefly been lost in thoughts of evil Mole Rats, snapped alert and frowned quizzically at her. "The Election? How do you figure that?"

She smiled faintly. "It's a bit of a leap, not to mention an ego trip of sorts, but I think it would make the headlines, 'Teen Heroine in coma after ____.' fill in the blank, no clue exactly what it would be, but it would be something to embarrass one of the candidates, maybe cost them the election."

Ron scowled as he worked it through in his own mind. "And why are we so sure we're not riding with people responsible? No offense, but you're the most likely suspects, after all." His tone wasn't the least bit apologetic, but neither Drakken or Shego chose to take offense. In any event, Kim responded first.

"For one, Ron, that coma-inducing stuff was probably in me for some time _before_ Drakken entered the race. He still could have orchestrated it, as part of a long range plan, but _he_ would have known it was likely Wade would find it sooner or later. I think he would have done that at the last minute. Of course, I still don't know why he entered the race in the first place." Kim immediately noticed Shego sliding down in her seat as if trying to become invisible, the universal behavior of the guilty of conscience. "But it looks like Shego had something to do with it." She observed with a faint grin.

The pale thief shot upright in her seat again, muttering under her breath. Then she turned around to face Kim, and practically snarled out the story. The true story. When she was done, Kim had a slightly dazed look, while Ron had a disbelieving expression on his face. Then Drakken spoke up. "I hope the devil has his thermal underwear available, the odds on Hell freezing over have certainly gone up in the last month or two..."

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Herman Bortel didn't much resemble his father, but the potential was there. He was heavy-set, and had to work hard to keep the pounds off. His brown hair showed no signs of thinning yet, but even if it did, he was working on a nanite-based technological solution to baldness. The precise method still eluded him, but he'd find inspiration somewhere.

He was currently living in a small two story house just off campus, with a large room on the first floor used by many previous tenants for the same purpose as he himself did, as a laboratory. The house was indifferently furnished, a collection of mixed pieces left behind by the various previous occupants. Absolutely nothing matched, and Herman didn't care a bit. As long as he had his privacy to work, and rarely play, without the annoyance of dealing with Seniors with their assumed superiority based solely on their earlier enrollment. Juniors weren't much better, but every time one of them threw his weight around, a Senior always seemed to pounce on him, sometimes seeming to materialize from thin air. Which, considering the prestige and scientific potential of his erstwhile frat brothers, wasn't entirely out of the question.

Herman had to admit to being occasionally impressed by something his fellow students produced, but never for long. He certainly intended to get his own degrees, but had no doubts regarding achieving that goal. It was just going to take too long as far as he was concerned, while he had to put up with all the insipid behavior that constituted 'college' life, even at a school supposedly attended by only the most serious students.

Right now, he was busy encoding a personal letter to his father. The encoding was necessary from Herman's point of view, since his father's communications seemed to be monitored by dozens of individuals and agencies seeking to learn his secrets, and sometimes succeeding when Cyrus, in the euphoria of making a new breakthrough, would fire off indiscreet messages to colleagues and rivals trumpeting his success. And Herman would prefer that anyone reading his private correspondence would at least have to go to the trouble of deciphering it.

He vaguely heard an odd humming from outside as he sat at his desk writing, but ignored it. Unless the odd sounds came out of the lab, where a couple of experiments were ongoing, he tended not to care. If it _did_ come from the lab, well, that was certainly different. He had noticed early on that the outer walls of the laboratory, despite being twice the thickness of those in the rest of the house, had been wholly or partially rebuilt more then once. In one place, the reconstruction had partially eradicated something etched in the brickwork, probably with a laser. What remained was the message, 'James Loves An...'. The rest was gone, along with part of the heart that had enclosed it.

But when his doorbell rang, he couldn't ignore _that_. Finishing his current sentence, he put the message in his desk drawer and locked it, then stood, took his jacket from the back of the chair and donned it, buttoning it and making sure it hung properly before going to the door. He put the chain on before cracking it, preparing a harsh welcome to whoever was there, provided they weren't faculty. But the sight of who stood there, and whom he fully recognized, stopped the words in his throat. It took him a moment just to speak the obvious. "Kim Possible?"

The redhead smiled at him. Ron Stoppable's face was somewhat more hostile, and the third person, a woman he didn't recognize, seemed to be bored. Then Kim spoke. "Yep, that's me, Hi. Herman Bortel? I wanted to have a word with you, about Nanomoths, among other things?"

It took a moment for her words to register, and another for him to sort out their implications. Then an angry look crossed his face, and he closed the door. Ron prepared to give the door a kick, while behind him there was a brief sizzle of plasma, which ended with a gasp from the disguised Shego. But as Kim spun to look at the thief, puzzled concern on her face, there was the sound of the chain being undone, and the door was flung open. Herman Bortel was walking away from the door even as it swung open.

He stopped in the middle of his living room and turned, and was surprised to see his visitors hadn't entered yet. A hushed conversation at his doorway ended with a muttered, sharp word from the woman he didn't recognize. Finally Kim came in, still glancing behind her, along with a puzzled, scowling Ron, who couldn't seem to decide who he wanted to keep an eye on, Herman or the strange woman.

"Well, I suppose one can't expect to trust a blackmailer." Herman began sourly. "First my erstwhile collaborator on the so-called 'nanomoths' ratted me out to an unknown party, now said party has apparently broken his word to me to maintain my anonymity in exchange for some work. So, you're here to chastise me for my clothing devouring creation? Frankly, I'd appreciate the recognition, they have several commercial applications, not the least of which are the potential practical joke aspects."

Kim regarded him narrowly, shaking her head. "_You_ are a chip off the old block! Just like your father wanting to sell his emotion control chips online..."

"Ah yes! I'll have you know father is busy now, trying to duplicate the effects your boyfriend here gave to the fictional 'Moodulator'. His original Emotion _Suppression _chip was only meant to keep emotions controlled, in a number of applications. He has no idea how Stoppable managed to make one work in reverse, and somehow amplify a person's emotions?" Herman regarded Kim expectantly.

She just shrugged in response. "He has a talent for things like that." _"Not to mention managing to get one of the darn things on practically everyone's neck at one time or another!" _That mission had been a pain, far less 'fun' then Ron's version, topped off by a visit from the Government agent in charge of censoring Ron. He wanted the existence of the chips kept secret. They only suppressed emotions, and could easily be blown out if a very strong stimulus occurred, but some people would certainly have uses for them. "But about being blackmailed? Would that be blackmailed into creating a form of nanotech that can induce a coma in a person?"

Herman's expression immediately became more guarded. "What would you know about that?"

Kim pointed to her head. "It was in here, but it malfunctioned, and we got it out." She waited to see if Herman's ego overrode his survival instincts.

Herman's face twisted anxiously. The choice of denying anything to do with the nanotech warred with his need to know..."Malfunctioned how, exactly?" he asked, trying not to sound _too _interested...and failing miserably.

Kim responded with a pained grin as she remembered. "Let's just say it was exposed to some unusual sound waves. But more importantly, from my point of view...." She stepped closer to Herman, her mild expression vanished, and there suddenly seemed to be fire in her eyes, and steel in her voice, "Who did you give it to, to use on me?"

Herman backed up a step, and bumped into someone. He looked over his shoulder to find another pair of Emerald eyes burning into his. He hadn't even noticed Shego circling behind him. "I---I don't know! Honestly! I have a name, but I'm sure it's assumed! I never even met the person directly! And I _certainly _didn't know who he was intending to use it on!"

Kim held up two fingers. "Questions! One, what's the name? Two, where is your former collaborator, since he must have told the blackmailer, directly or indirectly, that you made the Nanomoths in order for you to be blackmailed?"

Herman regained some composure, giving Kim a supercilious smirk. "Good luck running him down, he's currently studying in Japan, on an exchange program switch. He won't accept my calls, not that I tried more than once. Easier to give the blackmailer what he wanted then try and identify him. Especially since I relished the challenge!" He ended giving her a haughty look, which vanished instantly when Shego spoke practically in his ear, in a decidedly unfriendly voice. "What about that name, Hermie?" Despite a cold sweat suddenly breaking out on his forehead, and a sudden uncontrollable twitching of his left eye, Herman managed to respond in a level voice. "Del Rose."

Shego couldn't prevent a flicker of interest at the name, and she knew Kim had seen it. She sighed inwardly, then spoke. "Well, that name's come up already today! Or at least 'Del' has, looks like we may have some prey in common, Princess!" Then she saw Kim had drifted away again, at least mentally. _"Did that name mean something more to her, or is she having more severe emotional problems then I thought?" _She wondered.

Seeing both women distracted, Ron decided to speak up, addressing Herman. "Just like your father, you don't seem to care what use your inventions can be put to, you just want to make them, just to prove that you can!"

Herman looked at Ron appreciatively. "Exactly!" He replied emphatically. Ron blinked. _"He took that as a compliment?" _Then he saw Kim walking towards the door. "KP?" She looked up at him absently, but kept walking. "Time to go, Ron, better get back to Mom and Dad, before they worry." She said in a distracted tone as she opened the door and walked out. Ron looked at the still-beaming Herman, then the scowling Shego, before following Kim out, shrugging helplessly.

Shego walked around Herman, and his smile disappeared as he regarded her warily. "Just who are you, anyway?" He almost asked if she was Kim's assistant, but that potentially fatal mistake was forestalled by Shego's response.

Frustrated she couldn't give the idiot the best possible clue to her identity, Shego settled for leaning in close and telling him in her most intimidating tone, "Someone you had better hope never finds anything you made in _her_ system, or yours is going to get cleaned out in a whole new way!" Somehow Herman got the gist of it, or was just reacting to her tone, because he went very pale, and stood very still. Shego smirked at him, then walked out the door, not bothering to close it behind her.

Outside, Kim and Ron were surprised to find Kim's parents had arrived. James and Drew were standing together, chatting about something, while James gazed at the house itself with a wistful smile on his face. Anne was looking at him from the front seat of the van, with a fond smile on her own face. When she first saw Kim coming, her smile widened as it shifted from her to the house and then back. Then a more concerned look crossed her face as she saw that Kim seemed to be far away in her mind, walking past her distracted father without a glance. Drakken did notice her, though, and frowned slightly, then stopped a reluctant Ron to exchange a few words.

As Kim climbed into the back seat, Anne smiled at her. "Are you okay, Sweetheart?" Kim nodded as she fastened her seatbelt. "Sure." was her only response, though, as she settled herself and sat patiently. Anne's smile faded, then a thought occurred to her. "What did you think of the house, Kimmie?"_ "This might trigger a spark of interest."_

Kim blinked and looked at her with faint puzzlement. "It was all right I guess, why?"

Anne's smile returned, along with a sly look. "Oh, it's just that you just may have been conceived in that house." The results were satisfactory.

Kim blinked several times as her jaw slowly dropped, then her head snapped around to look at the house again. "What? How---I mean, here?" Her father opened the door and got in just then, and Ron came around to get in the back seat with Kim through the other side. He noticed Kim staring at the house. "KP? Something wrong?"

Kim took a moment to answer, as her father belted himself in and put the key in the ignition. Then she indicated the house, "I was conceived in there!" There was a startled grunt from the driver's seat, and Anne's eyes widened. "Huh?" was Ron's response, before he noticed the odd look on James' face. "Something wrong, Mister Doctor P?"

James didn't answer, just unbelted himself and opened the door, climbing out and calling to Drakken, who was back in the hovercraft along with Shego. "Err, Drew? I wonder if you can give me a hand? I somehow broke the key off in the ignition!"

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I promise, next chapter the debates _will _happen, no matter what! Seriously, I ran over again. And I may be over hyping the darn thing, anyway! We'll see.

Meanwhile, please Read and Review.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

Altered and re-posted the chapter since MrDrP's review, actually more to my own taste. I didn't think Kim using violence on Ron was right, but I was swayed briefly.

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The venue for the debates was the Middleton Municipal Auditorium, recently refurbished after a somewhat raucous Oh Boyz concert in mid-August. The band had tried a comeback from their one-hit-CD-then-crash-and-burn experience from two years previously, by displaying an 'edgier' style of music on their new CD, 'Volcanic Reaction!'.

They chose to begin their tour with a pre-release concert in Middleton, not the least because they hoped to bag a little free publicity if they could be seen with someone still 'hot', namely Kim. And Kim, forewarned by Wade, swore she wouldn't go near the concert, even as many of her classmates made plans to go, to see if they could recapture the two weeks of magic the band given them all of two years ago. Monique playfully bet that she would, just out of curiosity, and Kim sarcastically chose to take the bet.

Which turned out to be an error. The first two songs bombed horribly, so the band decided to jump straight into the title song. Accompanied by their most spectacular special effect. A simulated volcano, naturally. And none too surprisingly, and perhaps suspiciously, something went wrong. As in, the 'eruption' seemed to be considerably more powerful then intended.

The fire suppression system was set off, not only in the auditorium, but throughout the building, including the storage rooms where equipment was stored. The results were a predictable panic, and a few jammed exits.

Kim Possible had shown up in response to the alarm to help the Fire Department and Police clear the building of soaked teenagers, a few with minor burns and injuries. In the process she lost the bet with Monique that she wouldn't go near the band if wild horses dragged her. And best friend or not, Mon hadn't let circumstances allow Kim to get out of the bet.

To make matters worse, Kim got her picture in the paper with the bedraggled band draped all over her afterwards. Having gotten the picture, the photographer turned away and missed Kim's reaction to being practically mugged by the publicity-hungry foursome. Contrary to subsequent rumor, she did not alter any of their vocal registers...permanently.

In any event, despite the passage of time, all of the auditorium's water damaged equipment had not been replaced. In order to have separate podiums for the three candidates and the debate moderator, they had had to borrow two from the Middleton Midtown Hotel and conference center, and one from the Episcopalian Church, specially altered for the use of their minister, who was a bit on the short side. It had a step built into it, so while the podium was of the normal height, any of the candidates stepping up onto the step would have found the microphone at waist level, if not lower. Otherwise, they had to stand back, and lean well forward to speak into the mike. The one for the moderator was meant to be placed on a table, and in this case a six foot long draped table was set up, with all three podiums for the candidates to the right of the table, from the audience's viewpoint.

Summer Gale had won the job of moderator for the debates over several rivals, many of whom were justly suspicious about the decision. She entered first, impeccably dressed. And gave the audience her best smile as she took her place and made sure her microphone was working properly. She then made a neat pile of the cards with the questions printed on them, though she first had to mess up the neat stack they had already been in. The three candidates were just offstage, waiting to be introduced, and eying the podium with the built-in step warily. A young man was trying to tell them their assigned positions, but all three had the same attitude, that the last one introduced was out of luck.

The audience was taking up roughly two-thirds of the available seating. Both of Ron's parents were present, having left Hana in Ron's care for the evening. No one from the Possible family was present, though they were planning to watch it live on the local cable channel.

The Rockwaller family was there in force, naturally, Lonnie and Connie chatting excitedly, Bonnie moping despite her mother's attempts to cajole her into at least smiling. The Geary family was on the opposite side of the room, but neither offspring showed any enthusiasm over being present.

After delaying ten minutes to accommodate any late arrivals, the television director signaled Summer to begin. She cleared her throat, and faced the live camera. "Good Evening, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you to the live debates between the three candidates for the office of Mayor of Middleton. I'm Summer Gale..." She paused to see if that received any response, and her smile slipped a bit when all she heard was a cough from somewhere, and a cell phone suddenly broadcasting the original theme to the Mickey Mouse Club as a ring tone. As the owner hurriedly answered it while his face reddened, Summer forged on.

"We will now welcome our candidates!" She announced in a cheerful voice, "First, our incumbent, Democrat Joseph Foster Geary!" Mayor Geary came out to moderate applause, mostly polite, with only his wife and one or two others showing true enthusiasm. He steered past the podium with the step, and took the center one.

"Next, we have our Republican candidate, Mister Bennett Simpson Rockwaller!" The reaction for Bennett was slightly louder, if only because he had more family members present making an effort. He also passed by the unwanted podium, and went to the farthest one, smiling widely, restraining himself to a single-handed wave to the audience rather then a more dramatic gesture.

"And last, but certainly not least..." A sharp bark of laughter from somewhere in the audience made her smile slip briefly, "Drew Theodore P. Lipsky, Independent candidate!" Doctor Drakken strolled out and went to the podium avoided by the others, stood on one side of it, leaning against it, smiling all the time. The other two candidates looked at him, then each other, and shrugged. Applause wise, Drakken didn't do badly, though it all seemed to fall into the 'polite' category.

"And now Gentlemen, to begin! You'll each be given a chance to address the audience, and state what you see as your qualifications for Mayor. We'll start with Mayor Geary..."

000000000

Ron Stoppable stood backstage, watching Drakken. He had taken Hana to the Possible house and convinced the Doctors to watch her so he could attend the debates. He made his case that someone from Team Possible needed to be there, just in case. But now that he was present, his mind was threatening to wander. And Joe Geary starting his description of his own virtues was the final straw. The Ronman, at least mentally, left the building.

His thoughts wandered through ideas for stories, things he hadn't used so far. And he began muttering some things out loud. "Hmmm, Wade hasn't gotten his 'out of his room' story yet. Still need a pirate story, and one or two about Hana. Then there's the Attitudinator, need to use that again, maybe.."

"Did I hear you mention the 'A' word, Stoppable?" Ron snapped back to reality, and went rigid. Then he slowly turned his head to the left, and gazed incredulously at the woman standing there. Her appearance didn't match the voice, but he went with his ears on this one. And his ears told him the question had been delivered in a warning tone. "Shego?" The smirk that caused erased any doubts.

"Keeping an eye on the Doc, I assume you're here for the same reason? Never mind, what were you muttering? Not planning on breaking your word, and telling people about..." Her face twisted into a grimace, "Miss Go?"

Ron shook his head vehemently, "No! I mean...not really, but then again..."

Shego's expression became menacing. "IF you tell anyone about what happened in the lair that time, so help me..." Ron was waving both hands frantically, then shocked Shego by grabbing her arm and pulling her farther from any of the other people backstage. "No, this was an entirely different story, I swear! Um, how about, if you _and _your brothers were all hit by the Attitudinator at once?" Noting her eyes on his hand where it gripped her, he released her as if she was red-hot, before she actually became so.

Now Shego looked at him, warily. "Huh? That still turns me 'good', and my brothers...wait a sec, are you saying..."

"Evil! But, not very good at it! I mean, sort of clueless about how to go about it, get it?" Shego conmtinued to give him a wary look, but then her lips twitched. "All I have to do is decide who does it. I'm thinking Dementor..."

Shego shook her head. "No, no, no! He'd have no reason to zap my brothers, this would have to be a Team Go enemy!"

"Oh." Surprised to have her actually interested, Ron strove to keep things civil. "Then Avarius?" Shego made a face, and shook her head, "Nah! He has no skill with gadgets, trust me! Especially electronics, he'd never fix the Attitudinator!"

Now Ron looked puzzled. "Then what about the scepter? And the mechanical hummingbirds and the big flamingo? Who made them?"

Shego's response sounded frustrated. "He stole the scepter from HenchCo! And they just happened to find it, and have no idea how Avarius connected it to Team Go. And he's currently not a terribly reliable source of info." She shuffled her feet slightly, "And I may have had something to do with that, paid him a little visit in prison, may have scared him a bit!"

Ron's face assumed a crafty look. "So, that's why they actually kept you in prison so long that one time, you just wanted an opportunity to visit him, and it was easier from the inside, then out?" Shego didn't respond, so Ron shrugged and repeated his earlier question. "All right, what about the mechanical stuff?"

"_That_ was the Tin-Plated Tyrant. Had to finance a new suit of powered armor, so he did some work for other villains! That's his pattern, he makes a new suit, runs into Hego, gets it trashed, then does odd jobs until he can make a new one. Kind of lame, actually." Then she smirked. "For your story, Electronique is the girl, trust me! She can turn anything into a weapon, and if it already is, she'll make it more dangerous. She'll also rename it, by the way. Has a French accent, but we're talking French-Canadian, if it matters. She's locked up up there, right now."

"So, you're saying I _can_ write it?" Ron asked cautiously. Shego's expression went right back to angry, and he hastened to add, "Not the same way! I won't base your transformation on what really happened, honest! Just make you the opposite of what you...I think I was going to say something that would make you hurt me..."

Shego glared at him a moment longer, then relented. "All right, here's the deal! Tell me something juicy I can use against you, and I will _provisionally_ promise not to hurt you if you keep your word not to tell anyone what I was really like when that happened!"

Ron's mouth worked, but nothing came out at first. His eyes darted about, then focused on his surroundings. "Oh! The Bet!" Shego looked intrigued, so he continued, "When the Oh Boyz concert was here, Monique bet Kim she couldn't stay away from it, and Kim took the bet! Anyway, because of the 'volcano incident', Kim lost the bet!"

"What were the stakes?" Shego asked curiously.

"Oh, that Kim became Monique's slave for the day!" Ron replied, then frowned.

Shego's eyebrows rose. "Really? Sounds kinky! But what does that have to do with you?"

"It wasn't kinky!" Ron responded hotly, then cooled a bit. "It just meant at work, at Club Banana!" He now looked at the floor. "The problem was, Kim mentioned the bet to me, and didn't fully explain that part. And that night..this was in July? Well, that night we had one of our shared dreams, and...it was basically my dream..." Shego was wide-eyed now, a smile spreading across her face. "And it involved Kim as Monique's slave, and I....Um, was Monique's 'Djinn', and Kim was wearing....." Ron had turned bright red by now.

Starting to have a problem not giggling, Shego managed to ask, "So what happened?" (On stage, Joe Geary had finally finished, and Summer had given Drakken the floor.)

Ron winced. "Well, I found out Dad had to widen the attic window to give me a safe escape route in case of fire..." Shego put her hand over her mouth, "Five thirty in the morning, she didn't even wait until a decent hour!" Shego tightened her grip on her own mouth, as she began to vibrate from what she was holding in, "There was a bit in the dream, where Monique made me comment about Kim's 'dainty little feet'?" The vibrations became near convulsions now, "Well, she actually came over still in her pajamas, but she took the time to put on her mission boots, and I _really_ didn't want to find out the reason why...and Mom let her in....she didn't try to be quiet, I heard her coming...Rufus had bailed...and I was sorta wedged in the window...." He shuddered. "I heard her come up the stairs, and then...."

"_Need a little help there, Ron?" He heard Kim's voice from somewhere behind him. He swallowed nervously. "Yeah, heh, guess I could use a little." Then he heard Kim apparently walking away from him. "Kim, where are you going?"_

"_Don't worry, Ron, I just need a little room to get a start, so my 'dainty little feet' can do their best work!" Ron's eyes widened, and be began to struggle to free himself. "Kim! Wait, I didn't mean..." then he heard the sound of running feet..._

"And I suddenly broke free of the window frame! Shot straight through! I heard Kim scream, she never meant to actually kick me, but, you know me! Luckily the attic window overlooks the garage roof, so I didn't fall all the way to the ground. At once, that is, too much momentum to stop at the edge. Also lucky I fell off the back of the roof, since I sorta left something behind in the window...." By this time, Ron was redder then a fire engine.

And Shego lost it. Loudly. The shrieking laughter that had once convinced some teenagers that an old castle was indeed haunted(And they were a tough crowd to convince) rang through the Auditorium.

At his podium, Doctor Drakken was speaking when it happened. "I have generally found that I have the respect of my colleagues, and the trust of my employees...." And Shego's shrieking laughter cut him off. He turned to peer backstage, but couldn't see her. Her laugh, or rather the one that rarely got out of her control, was unmistakable however. He frowned slightly, but as the laugh suddenly cut off, he turned back to the audience, smiling again. "And as you can see, I don't lack in entertainment value!" That actually garnered him some laughs.

Backstage, Shego had jammed one hand in her mouth. She had blushed so deeply, Ron thought she was going to burst. Now her eyes narrowed suspiciously. _"Did the buffoon do that on purpose? I started it, but..ah ha!"_

"It's not that funny!" Ron snapped, "You have no idea what it feels like....um, never mind!" Ron's face had gotten quite red as well.

"Well, coming from you, Stoppable, with your sense of humor..." Shego replied, a bit of a taunt in her voice. Ron bristled. "What's wrong with my sense of humor?"

"Heh! Take that bit with your cousin's little pet lizard, you must have thought that was hilarious!" Shego replied in a mocking tone.

"Did not! That was terrible...wait a sec, how did you know about that?" Ron regarded her suspiciously. (On stage, it was now Bennett Rockwaller's turn to extol his own virtues, and he was doing do so with gusto.)

Shego rolled her eyes, grinning. "Please, Stoppable! There was more then one 'Fly-on-the-wall' cam there, the footage from the other one has been running on VillainNet ever since. Very popular bit, I might add! And don't tell me you didn't find the whole thing funny, your nemesis getting his comeuppance like that!"

Ron gave her a look of righteous indignation, and she smirked. "Come on, Stoppable! The smug look on his face, then..." Ron's eyes became a bit unfocused, and his lips twitched. "Let's see, what was it you said? 'Be careful, Shawn, one day you'll have to account for your actions to God!', wasn't that it? Interesting approach, I must say. And then he said...what was it?" Ron was beginning to sweat, biting his lip. "Oh, yeah! He kinda snickered, didn't he? And then he said, 'Maybe, but where's God now?' and just then...'Bang!'" A snort escaped Ron's lips, and he clapped his hand over his mouth, eyes bulging. "Or was it more of a 'Bomf'?" Ron's chest heaved, "No! I know exactly what it sounded like!" She leaned close to Ron's ear, "It went..."

"And so, I maintain that I possess in abundance all the qualifications to be the next Mayor of this fine city!" Bennett Rockwaller was saying, "And I have no doubt I can be the best Mayor Middleton has ever had!" Several well-placed acquaintances rose to their feet to applaud, along with his family. Well, Connie and Lonnie with enthusiasm, Bonnie with some reluctance, while Mrs Rockwaller took a moment to realize her husband had finished his speech, having been involved in gossip-swapping with a friend. But the applause was cut off before it began, as a truly frightening sound swept through the auditorium.

A raucous, high-pitched, maniacal laugh that sent shivers up many people's spines. Many people looked around in confusion, unsure exactly where the sounds originated from. The security guards and policemen present began talking anxiously into their radios. Drakken did his best to suppress a wince. _"Somehow, I sense Shego's fine hand in this!"_

Ron's parents, seated several rows back from the front, looked at each other. "Dear, I do believe Zorpox is in the building!" Jean commented. Dean nodded, "Have I ever confessed to having the desire to have a would-be world conqueror quaking at my feet?" He replied. Jean's lips twitched, "Why no, have you had that desire for long?" He shook his head, "Nope, just got it! Let's go have a word with Zorpox, shall we?" The two rose and made their way backstage.

The laughter cut off as suddenly as it began. Primarily because Ron was in imminent danger of biting his own fingers off. Shego stood to one side, a broad grin on her face. _"My work here is done! Better slip out, don't want this little incident to reflect back on the Doc." _She made a hasty exit, passing the Stoppables as they arrived.

Ron got himself under control, then spun around to give Shego a piece of his mind. And found himself looking into the eyes of his very stern-looking parents. His face went from bright red to very pale so fast it was a wonder he didn't pass out. He did sway a bit, though.

"Ronald, where is your sister?" His mother asked.

"Hana? Possible! At the Possibles! Kim's looking after her! Or her parents are, if Kim's resting! She's fine, honest, I just needed to keep an eye on Doctor Drakken, for Kim!" Ron stammered out.

His mother's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "For Kim? Or, are you worried about me associating with him? Ronald, if you have reservations, I gave you a chance to talk about them before, and you didn't say a thing! I have no illusions about trusting him completely, but I've made my decision, and I can look after myself!"

Ron's shoulders sagged, and he nodded. "I know, Mom, but it's hard to trust him, with all the stuff he's pulled!"

"You've trusted him a couple of times when Kim's life depended on it, Ronald." His father observed, "And I don't believe you gave him credit for that, in your stories?" Ron grimaced a bit at that observation, or accusation, perhaps. "Yeah, well, I didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea about him, he had special reasons each time to help save her."

Jean crossed her arms and regarded him sternly. "Nevertheless, he _did_ save her, and once he even saved you, according to Kim!" When Ron looked shocked, she added, "She didn't give any details, though." She noticed a definite relaxation in her son. "I know you write your stories in such a way as to keep the relationships simple, but in reality, they're hardly that, are they?"

Ron's eyes dropped, and he shuffled his feet guiltily, "No, Mom, they're not." Then he looked up again. "I'm sorry about not telling you I'd be here, but you have to admit, some weird things have happened around Drakken lately, I was worried, with you both here, that something would happen today,"

Jean's expression softened. "Ronald, that's fine, but I really think you should go get your sister, and take her home, before it gets much later, and colder. And give Kim our love while you're there, all right? We'll see you at home later, and bring a late dinner for all of us."

Ron hesitated, then nodded. "Okay, Mom, I guess you're right! I'll go, but you keep an eye out for any weirdness, 'kay?"

Jean rolled her eyes. "Yes, Ronald, we'll be watchful! You go on, and take care."

00000000

At the Possible home, Anne was surprised to see a sleepy Kim emerging from the guest room, Hana cradled in her left arm. She'd left the two sleeping peacefully just minutes before, Hana cuddled up to Kim, who had had her right arm wrapped around the little girl. Now Kim was looking around fuzzily. "I swear I just heard Zorpox, or rather Ron doing his Zorpox laugh."

Anne grimaced and looked at the TV. She'd had the volume turned down, but that sinister laugh apparently carried. Kim noticed what was on the television. "Mom! You know I wanted to watch that, why didn't you wake me?" She kept her voice low, to keep from rousing Hana.

"Kimmie, you were so cute, with Hana...and I thought you needed the rest, you really haven't been yourself lately, if your body wanted sleep, I wasn't going to challenge it." James came in from the kitchen just then, two large glasses of ice tea on a tray with a small bowl of snacks. He regarded Kim with concern. Kimmie-cub, are you sure you're all right?" He looked especially concerned that Kim was no longer wearing her sling.

Sitting down carefully on the couch, Kim kept the annoyance out of her voice. "I'm fine, Dad! I wanted to watch this...what have I missed?" Her parents exchanged 'you want to tell her?' looks, Even as Anne raised the volume slightly.

Summer Gale was speaking. "Mister Lipsky has revealed his choices for Deputy Mayor, Director of Public Works, and a recommendation for a new head of the School Board. I wonder, have either of the other candidates chosen people to fill those positions? Mister Rockwaller?"

"Well! Yes, as a matter of fact...he did wish for me to wait until after the election, but I see no reason to do so now. My Deputy Mayor will be Franklin Barr, currently a well-respected Assistant District Attorney in our city! As for the remaining posts, I have yet to come to any decisions in that matter."

Summer nodded wisely. "I see. How about you, Mister Mayor?"

Joe Geary smiled. "Well, Summer, as you know, I've always considered the post of Deputy Mayor as a purely honorary one. Officially, I consider the post to be held by Arnold Upton, our long time Mayor, who I consider a mentor. But it's an unpaid position, as I said, strictly honorary."

"Really?" Drakken broke off sipping from a glass of water. "According to the Municipal Payroll records, someone is receiving that salary! Mind you, the authorization came from the Chief of Police, Morgan Locke. So the question is, who's receiving the checks?"

Geary seemed generally flabbergasted. "How..wha...um, well! If there's any truth to that allegation, I'll certainly have to have it looked into!"

"Oh?" Bennett Rockwaller asked, eyebrows raised, "And just who are you going to give that job to, Joe? Can't have Locke investigate himself!"

Back at the Possible house, Anne was so absorbed in what was playing out on the TV that she didn't notice Kim approaching until she set Hana down in Anne's lap. She looked up in surprise. "Kimmie?"

She smiled down at her mother. "Something I have to do, don't worry, I'm fine right now, but need to do this." She bent over and gave her mother a peck on the cheek. "Be back in a bit...Oh! Need to get my sling, and coat!" She hurried up the stairs.

Anne looked across at James. "Think we should ask her not to go out?"

James considered his reply briefly. "Well, I don't like to think of her out alone..."

"I won't be!" Kim's quick return caught them both by surprise. She seemed to suddenly have some of her old speed back. "I'm going to meet someone, promise!"

"Welllll...all right, Kimmie-cub, but take care, please?" James requested.

"Sure, Dad!" She gave him a quick buss, then headed for the door as she arranged her sling and coat properly. "Don't think I'll be too late, but don't worry!" She called as she opened the door, shivered briefly as the outside air hit her, then slipped out.

Once outside, she pulled out her Kimmunicator and contacted Wade. "Hey Kim! What's up? How are you feeling?"

"Fine, Wade. I need you to contact someone for me...."

0000000

Back at the debate, the subject had, mercifully for Joe Geary, shifted to the proposed Middleton Plaza Resort development. Summer was just addressing the first question on the matter to the candidates. "Gentlemen, the first of many controversies involved in this matter refer to the routing of utilities to the site, which would require extensive construction and inconvenience for many citizens in the northern part of the city. What are your thoughts on the matter? Mister Rockwaller, you first this time, if you please."

Bennett shrugged, but kept a smile on his face as he replied, "There's not much to say, Summer. If we want that development and the income it will bring to our fair city, the inconvenience is necessary! We cannot extend the utilities from Pine Hill Estates, they're barely adequate to support that community, and date from the seventies, though I understand they have been kept properly maintained, of course!"

Summer nodded sagely. "Well put, Sir. Mayor Geary?"

Geary sighed deeply. "Not much to add to what Bennett said. Progress always has a price, and if we are to improve our community, and bring in new business, we will have to pay it."

Dean Stoppable clearly heard someone behind him mutter, "Who's 'we', Geary? You're not going to have _your_ street torn up, or have to move out of _your_ house!"

Summer was nodding, a serious expression on her face. "All too true, Mister Mayor! Mister Lipsky, your comments?"

Drakken was still leaning with one elbow braced on his podium. He made an expansive gesture with his hands. "Actually, I think we're going about it the wrong way!" That drew scowls from his rivals. "We don't need to inconvenience anyone at all, if we run the electricity from the Upperton grid..."

"Out of the question!" Bennett Rockwaller interrupted, "This is a Middleton project, we don't want Upperton involved at all!" There were exclamations of agreement from some of the audience. Joe Geary kept silent, but scowled.

"And just how would Upperton be involved?" Drakken asked in a reasonable tone. When Rockwaller just blinked in confusion, Drakken continued, "The power for all of the Tri-Cities area, as well as five of the surrounding counties, is supplied by a single company. They would be supplying the power to the project no matter how we route it, using the Upperton grid makes no difference, except no construction would interfere with life in either city. In fact, the local substation is located right on the Upperton city limits' southern border, so it's a straight shot to the plaza. This way we can save more then enough money to be able to route the other utilities necessary in such a way as to minimize the inconvenience to our citizens."

This speech caused a great deal of talk amongst the audience members. Then Mayor Geary spoke up. "Are you sure of your estimates, Doc—er, Mister Lipsky?"

Drakken shrugged expansively. "You can check all my figures yourself, I posted the full details on the Lipsky-for-Mayor website! I included the value of all real estate through which the work will pass, all of which currently has registered owners, none of whom have filed any intent to build on it."

Geary kept his face impassive, while Bennett Rockwaller pretended to scratch his ear, while in fact tapping on the 'ear bud' receiver in his ear. The look on his face showed dissatisfaction with whatever he was hearing.

Summer smiled tightly. "Well then, let's continue. Shall we? Another controversy with the proposed hotel project is the access to the site. The current proposal would mean a road being built through Pine Hill Estates, forcing the demolition of at least twenty of the houses in order to make the road four lanes wide, which is the minimum believed necessary. This time, we'll begin with Candidate Lipsky."

Drakken nodded graciously. "Thank you, Miss Gale! As to the proposed route, I believe there is a better alternative. Specifically, Greenwood Road, which runs past the National Guard Armory. It can easily be widened to four lanes. The Armory itself will have to be torn down, with the facilities transferred to a new location..."

"The Armory should be considered a Historic Building, in my opinion!" Joe Geary interjected, "And just where would you move the 'facilities'?"

"To the building where KerseyCorp was planning to build their local factory, before they went bankrupt! I believe the property is now owned by the bank. The old 'Historic' Armory is in poor shape, and is no longer large enough to handle the needs of our local Guard unit since it was re-tasked, and required a large increase in vehicles. In addition, the single narrow road allowing access to it inhibits it's operations, and is easily blocked by snow. By relocating the Guard closer to the main highways and the Interstate, which didn't exist when the old Armory was built, we improve it's ability to respond to natural disasters within the state, as well as locally." The noise coming from the audience seemed to indicate that Drakken had made his point.

"In addition, we can put a bypass that cuts behind the 'new' armory, and leads directly to the streets leading to our business district and the Middleton Mall. As to the part of Greenwood Road that extends northward from the proposed Hotel site, it is not suitable for widening, and will probably have to be cut off." The notion that guests at the hotel would find Middleton's stores more easily accessible then Upperton's also went over well with the merchants in attendance.

As the evening progressed, Drakken continued to make points on other issues, while Bennett Rockwaller in particular began to founder, having failed to anticipate anyone actually putting forward alternate proposals to any of the issues meant to be discussed. Or rather, his 'coach' seemed to have failed in that respect.

Joe Geary showed little better preparation, but his years of politics let him try several spins on Drakken's ideas that were meant to make them seem impractical, or motivated by self-interest. Unfortunately, the scientist managed to neuter most of the insinuations, when he didn't manage to turn them around on Geary. Eventually some snarky remarks were inevitable.

"I'll have you know I have some experience in the construction industry, Joseph!" Bennett Rockwaller snapped, "I think I can accurately judge the feasibility of this project!" The project under discussion was merely a proposal to build new public restrooms in Middleton Park, which somehow turned into a discussion of architectural design.

Joe Geary snorted. "Riiiight! Your 'experience' was in telling experts what you needed done, and letting them decide whether it could work or not! I wouldn't trust you to personally build a snowman!"

In the control booth, the TV Director winced, and spoke into his mike. "Show me Camera Three on the main screen, but _not _on the feed!" An image of Summer Gale's face popped up on the biggest screen. "I really wish no one had mentioned snowmen!" The director muttered. His Assistant looked at him curiously. "Why?" She asked. She looked at Summer's image, and saw that the moderator's right eye was twitching slightly. "Whats her---Oh, you must be kidding! That 'Toxic Snowmen' story was pure BS!"

"Of course it was!" The Director snapped sarcastically, "But two years ago, just before Christmas, Summer went over to the Possible house to deliver an apology, ordered by management, to Kim for something she reported on the news. Anyway, suddenly she calls the station, claiming there were killer robots disguised as snowmen attacking the Possible house!"

His Assistant stared at him incredulously for a moment, then burst out laughing. "You're kidding!"

Appearing not the least amused, the Director shook his head. "Not at all! She insisted we send a camera crew, as fast as possible! Well, the roads were slick, and there were a couple of accidents to detour around, so they didn't get there all that quickly, but when they did get there, there was no sign of any robots, or any battle, nothing at all!"

"But what about Summer?"

"Oh, she was inside, drinking hot chocolate, trying to steady her nerves, or so she claimed! Of course, then she accused the Possibles of keeping her distracted while someone removed all the evidence of the battle! She was being ridiculous, from the way she described things, thirty-five minutes was nowhere near enough time to remove all sign of the battle! No idea what she was up to, certainly too much effort to be just trying to avoid apologizing!"

The Assistant pursed her lips, then slowly shook her head. "Makes no sense to me, either! And then there's the question of Stoppable's story? I mean, why didn't she get upset about being portrayed that way?"

The Director shrugged, "You'd think she would, wouldn't you? But all she ever does is tell people not to bring it up...ever! So, for some reason she caused all that fuss, nearly got herself fired, and now the mention of 'snowman' or 'snowmen' makes her twitchy! She looks like she's got it under control now, though."

000000000

Wade Load slurped down some soda as he listened in on the control booth conversation. He'd originally just intended to hack into their cameras, since the multiple views would be most likely to catch anything strange happening in the Auditorium. But when he found out he could also eavesdrop on them working, he hadn't been able to resist. After all, neither Shego nor Drakken were in their lair for him to monitor.

The conversation brought a smile to his face. The 'Snowmen' Summer had seen had been robot assassins from WWEE. Gemini had made a dozen of them, disguised them as snowmen, and planted them at places Kim and Ron frequented. He for some reason hadn't expected Kim to be at home, with a day off from school due to the snow. So it was literally the last place his minions had looked. Belatedly finding her there, he ordered all robots to assemble there, and attack.

Summer Gale had been at the Possibles' front door when the robots had approached. When Kim had answered the door, and seen what was coming, her expression had caused Summer to spin about to confront a dozen snowmen with glowing eyes, out of whose bodies all sorts of weapons suddenly sprouted, all seemingly aimed right at her.

Kim had done the only thing she could think of. She'd thrown the switch to turn on the outside Christmas lights, grabbed the paralyzed woman, and dragged her into the house while kicking the door shut. Outside, there was a brief blast from a siren, warning the neighbors, then the lights had lit up. Summer had huddled on the floor, Kim shielding her, as all hell had broken loose in the Possibles' front yard. Though there had been the sound of several impacts on the door and the front of the house, nothing penetrated either the walls, the door, or the shutters that had dropped down over the windows.

When things had quieted, Kim had dashed out the rear door and circled the house, to find ten trashed snowmen, and two still marginally functional, staggering about, all visual and thermal sensors disabled by the lights, or the thermal signature they generated. They'd been firing by sound alone, and the most noise they had detected had naturally been each other.

Using her lipstick laser, Kim had disabled the two remaining automatons. Anne had taken Summer to the kitchen for a soothing cup of cocoa, which also slightly distorted her sense of time. James and the kids had then replaced all the damaged panels of _faux_ brickwork on the front of the house, as well as putting up a new door, even as the Global Justice clean-up team had arrived, disguised.

The team leader had studied the true walls under the fake bricks as the Possibles had covered it, and wondered aloud where Doctor Possible had obtained so much titanium. And James had assured him it wasn't really titanium, just his early Hephaestus prototype, which was only capable of creating rigid forms. So he'd used it to build armored walls for part of the house. He'd also mistakenly decided to use it on the plumbing, and that had really been an error in judgment, but once they learned it could contain practically any explosion generated by conventional explosives, clearing clogs had not been a problem.

So, rather then having called the studio just after being given the cocoa as she believed, Summer had actually called them nearly thirty minutes later. Still, a couple of convenient detours were arranged for the camera crew to give the clean-up team more time. But Will Du, trying to erase the very last traces in the snow in his pursuit of perfection, had had to dive inside a snowdrift and hide for nearly thirty minutes as Summer had ranted and raved around the yard after the crew had arrived. His misery was compounded afterwards when he was drinking his own cocoa in the Possible kitchen, and Kim pointed out that since he was wearing civilian clothes, he could just have claimed to be shoveling sidewalks for pay, rather then hiding.

Summer had been more then a little rude, especially to Kim, and that after the girl had saved her life. So Ron had written his little story to taunt Summer, more then anything else. Though it was a neat little story, he had to admit. After all, he had to continue to warn people of the danger that was Lake Wannaweep.

The upshot was that Summer had to spend better then a year getting back in her Station Manager's good graces. And she made no more fuss about the matter, due to it's possibly negative impact on her career. But she still harbored a grudge against Kim, even though she herself couldn't exactly justify it.

Now Wade listened to proof, if he had needed it, that Summer's career was still shadowed by the incident. He had a little sympathy for her, he had to admit, getting caught in something like that. But he'd exorcised any guilt of participating in the cover-up by sending Summer a couple of anonymous tips that landed her hot stories. Or as hot as one could find in Middleton.

Wade continued to watch the debates, but he was preoccupied with other considerations. He knew about Shego's problem, by way of his bugs in the lair, but hadn't told Kim yet. Mostly because she might not be too pleased about the Rufus Network. Then again, a little 'Kimilla' right now might be welcome, it would be good to see her get emotional.

Wade knew about the video recording of the raid Kim had been caught up in. He hadn't been able to bring himself to watch it, but he'd screened the audio. And he knew for a fact that the hysterical screaming near it's end had been Kim. But even his equipment had been unable to bring any coherence to the sounds, it had just seemed to be animal in nature. And it had given him a few nightmares since.

"_If I thought she'd let me, I'd insist she never take another mission without me screening it! That sneak got past me to contact her directly, otherwise this never would have happened! But she'd never agree to that, she's older then me, and she's Kim!"_

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. He had begun his relationship with Kim with an idealized image of her, but he had soon come to realize how vulnerable, how normal, she could be. And like many others in her life, he'd taken a bit of the responsibility for trying to allow her a normal life when possible, and trying to keep her extraordinary life from impacting her too brutally. So he felt some responsibility for what had happened, perhaps more then he should. But that was typical of the friends Kim made, too.

Now he was angry at himself for something else. He'd been actually tempted to bug Kim's meeting with Doctor Cardien. He'd even half-justified it in his own mind before reason had prevailed. Reason, and a respect for Kim's privacy.

He didn't notice his mother looking in on him from the doorway, concern on her face as she studied his unhappy expression. _"Kim may not be the only one growing up too fast, I'm afraid my boy is being dragged along for the ride." _She sighed inwardly, _"Well, it's his choice, I'll just be here for him if it all goes wrong. But I'm afraid of how he'll react if Kim can't come back, he feels some responsibility, I know. But both these children are loved, and that may see them both through, The Lord Willing."_

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Kim Possible stood on a corner, three blocks from her home, looking up into the sky as a shower of very small snowflakes flurried down. They didn't survive contact with the ground, which was still too warm for them, but Kim gazed at them with almost detached interest. _"I used to enjoy this. Well, especially when I was little, but the first snowflakes of the year have always been a bit special for me. But now....not so much. How can I remember enjoying something so much, but not enjoy the memories? Why can't I feel the same anymore?" _She sighed deeply. Then a voice cut through her thoughts.

"You just going to stand there, Princess? You asked for this meeting, after all!" Kim barely started at the sudden interruption to her reverie, she just brought her gaze down to regard Shego, sitting at the wheel of a green '67 Mustang hardtop, regarding her with curiosity, and maybe a little concern? "Hi, Shego." Kim replied, opening the door and getting into the car.

Shego regarded her with a curious frown. "We going somewhere, Kimmie?" The girl nodded. "The Barr Estate, please and Thank You." she requested. Shego's eyes widened, then narrowed suspiciously, before she finally nodded slowly. "Sure, why not?" She put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb. "Listen, Kimmie, I'm not supposed to give a damn if you lose all your marbles, but if you are, can you tell me? Got some future plans I'll have to change if your parents decide to put you in the loony bin."

Kim looked at her, and after a moment's hesitation, smiled faintly. "Sorry to be an inconvenience...to everyone. I just don't know. I have a question I think only you can answer, but it has to wait until I talk to Bernie."

Shego's brow knitted in consternation. _"Bernie? Wonder if Kim's been told about my little sleepover? Don't suppose it matters, except it would mean Princess knows about my power 'outage'. Which for the moment isn't important, don't think she's up to anything....wonder how she'd react to an attack? Doy! Where'd that come from, Shego?"_

They drove in silence for several minutes, before Kim spoke again. "I think I'm getting scared to feel anything, for some reason. Maybe because whatever I've buried in my subconscious is a feeling I don't want to feel again." Then her brow knitted into a frown as she analyzed what she'd just said.

Shego wasn't sure how to answer that, so she resorted to a question. "Not that it's any of my business, but are you planning to get some help?"

"I'm going to see a psychiatrist on Wednesday." Kim responded without hesitating. Shego blinked, grip tightening on the wheel. Traffic was too busy to take her eyes off the road, so she couldn't see Kim's expression, if she had any. "Um, Kimmie, I'm your nemesis, remember? Should you be admitting you have a weakness to me?"

Kim was silent for a minute, then she replied quietly. "I may not be a threat to you, anymore, Shego, so I guess...it doesn't matter."

Shego briefly thought she'd taken leave from reality, and almost pinched herself to check. _"Is she serious?! And if she is, what does that mean to me, if anything? Of course the whole thing is nuts, we're both seeking psychiatric help, imagine that! Guess the Supervillainess and Teen Heroine career paths are high-stress, who'da thunk it?" _She snickered, and Kim looked at her curiously. Shego promptly straightened up and blanked her expression. After a moment, Kim looked away again. _"And how often does she let something like that pass unchallenged? Oh, stop it! You've got your own problems that have nothing to do with Kim Possible, let her deal with hers, you deal with your own!"_

Bernie's mother responded to the servant's message when they arrived at the Barr mansion. She seemed momentarily puzzled to see them, but Kim's request to visit Bernie brought a smile to her face. "Oh, that's excellent! She doesn't have many friends around Middleton, she hasn't seen anyone but family or the servants since she's been confined. Oh! Please don't use _that _word in her presence, it puts her in _such_ a foul mood! She's upstairs in her old bedroom, I'll have Melissa show you up!"

They found the young woman propped up in her bed, watching TV. A DVD, apparently, of the original _Star Wars._ If Bernie was surprised to see Kim walk into her room, Shego was a shock. But not so much she didn't stifle the impulse to make a quip about 'returning to the scene', etcetera. Not only was it technically untrue, she didn't want the story getting to Kim unless Shego wished it. Though that puzzled her a bit. Shouldn't she want Kim to know that her foe was temporarily weakened?

Then she looked at her former charge and sighed. _"Not sure there's any point, right now." _Aloud, she greeted them warmly. Shego responded politely, eying Kim, while Kim...looked like she was feeling guilty about something. "Kimpressionable, what's got you down?" She asked.

Shego looked puzzled, while a faint smile came to Kim's face. When Bernie had babysat her, she'd done the same thing with words appropriate to whatever Kim had been doing. 'Kimpetuous' had been common, along with 'Kimprecise' and 'Kimpious'. And Kim had always bristled, then asked what the words really meant, and Bernie had always explained their meaning. Which sometimes made Kim frown, but learning their meanings genuinely intrigued her.

Bernie patted the bed beside her, and Kim sat down, while Shego took a seat in a comfy recliner next to the bed. "Did you come here for a specific reason, Kim, or just to visit?" Bernie asked. Kim had been looking at the TV screen, but now she looked away from both it and Bernie. "I'm sorry." She murmured, almost inaudibly, despite Bernie having muted the sound from the movie.

Bernie looked at Shego, who shrugged, masking her growing impatience. "Sorry about what, Kim?" Bernie asked the girl. Kim looked up, and she had tears in her eyes. "I didn't come and see you, all that time after you got home, I couldn't come, and I don't know why!"

Bernie reached out with her left arm and pulled Kim towards her, wincing as she did. "Left side only, please, right side is a little tender." Shego suddenly became very interested in the muted image on the TV screen. Kim snuggled up next to the older girl, the way she had on the rare evenings she'd worn herself out before her appointed bedtime, but refused to actually go to bed early. "Kim, we both had a traumatic experience, and I'm not going to pretend it was any easier for me because I'm older. Somehow I got through it without as much help as I actually thought it would take, so I'm lucky. You tried to work through it on your own, and part of that might have been avoiding reminders of what happened, including me. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I actually never thought about you not coming. I mean, I heard you were still doing your thing, and I hadn't really seen you since the last time I babysat you. Well, except that brief meeting at Lake Middleton the one summer, when Ron tried to explain why he was wearing two pairs of swim trunks at the same time." Kim snorted at that, smiling fondly at the memory. "As if the reason wasn't obvious to anyone who knew Ron well!" She managed despite a sudden fit of giggles.

After a minute's peace, however, she grew serious and sat up again. "Bernie, Is your older brother named after FDR?" Bernie was puzzled by the sudden change in topic, and took a moment to respond. "Well, yes, why does it matter?"

Shego was also puzzled. _"That's the 'big question', that her brother's name is Franklin Delano Roosevelt Ba---oh, you must be kidding! 'Del Rose'? But why does that matter, what reason would he have? Well, he's an ADA, so he might want to score points by framing Doc for something..." _Then Kim resumed talking, and interrupted her musings.

"Did you know that he's supposed to become Deputy Mayor, if Bennett Rockwaller is elected?" Kim was avoiding eye contact, which worried Bernie more then the news surprised her. And it did surprise her. She frowned as she replied, "No, Hadn't heard a thing about it! But, why is that a problem for you, Kim?"

The girl bit her lip. Then she took a deep breath. "I think your brother is planning to do something very bad, to make sure Mister Rockwaller wins. And I think he's been planning it for a while."

Bernie pushed herself up into a proper sitting position, wincing at the pain it caused. "How bad, Kim? Bad enough that people might get hurt?" The answer was slow to come, and Kim semed to be forcing the words out.

"I think so. I think he's responsible for the coma inducing nanotech we found in me." Kim told Bernie the story of the 'Ninja Nurses'. "I think he might have learned about them through his job at the District Attorney's office. Though I'm not sure how he could have learned how to contact them, unless the one's that were caught confessed, which seems rather unlikely, if they follow the usual Ninja code of conduct regarding capture."

"That information more likely came from whoever their client was, Kimmie." Shego observed, "Provided he was identified by the Law."

Kim nodded. "You're right, I should have thought of that." She sighed again. "I'm just so distracted by another problem, I..." She shook her head, "Stay on topic! I still don't know what he planned to do that would help Rockwaller's candidacy, I just know I was supposed to be a victim of it."

"Something at your school, then." Shego stated. "Something to do with poor maintenance, I'd guess. Doc found out Sheila Geary's been redirecting funds to try and keep up with Upperton's 'improvements' for their schools."

Bernie was scowling fiercely. "Damn Trust, I know about that! But Frank...well, I think Dad found out something about him today, that didn't make him very happy, to put it mildly! And Politics is the last career choice he has to follow in the 'family' traditions, but..." She made a growling noise deep in her throat, "He's not doing it for Dad's approval, he's doing it all for his own ego! But to risk hurting someone.....no, it has to be something powerful enough to involve you no matter where in the school you are, unless he can guarantee your proximity to whatever he has planned. That means he's risking killing someone."

"But now he's changed his plan, I think!" Shego exclaimed angrily, then reined in her emotions ever so slightly, "Ironically, in a way where no one would have to get hurt! I think his current idea is to reveal the poor maintenance, and then make it look like Doctor D was planning to discredit the Gearys with whatever plan he had cooked up! That's why he was after Doc's DNA, to plant at the scene! Then your brother would have to 'officially' find it somehow, probably led to it by an anonymous tip."

Bernie threw off her covers, and swung her legs over the side of the bed, while undoing the buttons on her pajama top. "Help me get dressed! I have to find him, or maybe Dad, I---damn!" She fell to one side, pressing her hand to her injured side.

Kim's eyes widened, and concern flooded her face. "Bernie! You're not going anywhere!" She snapped, and Shego heard more then a little of Kim's normal fire in her words, "We have to think about this, and decide rationally what we're going to do, understand?" She shrugged off her sling and pushed Bernie back onto the pillows gently, then buttoning back up the two buttons she'd actually managed to undo. "Unless you want to show me how much smarter then me you are, when it comes to taking care of myself?" she finished with a wry grin.

"Unless you'd just like me to do things my way?" Shego added. She was standing, arms crossed, and had fire in her eyes that warned Kim she was barely restraining herself from taking action. Which most likely would result in some extreme discomfort for Franklin Barr. "Because I have a definite plan in mind to resolve this little crisis!" She gritted out. Then her gaze shifted to Kim. "And what the hell did you want to ask me about?" A touch of guilt slipped through her anger when she saw Kim visibly wilt, and look away. "Snap! Listen, whatever it is, just ask it, okay?"

Bernie looked back and forth between the two, finally focusing on Kim, who distractedly was rearranging the covers over her. "Kim? What's wrong?"

Kim didn't seem to hear Bernie's words, as she chose to address Shego first. "Shego, in the last year....have you noticed...have I been fighting differently?"

"Huh?" The question puzzled, and angered Shego, and considering she was mad already, it took a lot of restraint not to jump to the conclusion that Kim was asking for some silly, perhaps childish reason. "What do you mean, differently?"

"Shego, I...have I..." Kim seemed to be choking on the words, "Have you ever thought....did it ever seem as if..I was trying to kill you?"

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Well, leaving it at this point. Decided I couldn't let debates devolve into total chaos, since I wanted Drakken to make a mostly positive impression.

For now, Please Read and Review.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

Thanks to BlazeStryker, Michael Howard, and MrDrP for their reviews of the last chapter, and again to all those who have sent me reviews.

The intruder slipped quietly though the darkened halls of Middleton High, wary for any sign of the sole nighttime security guard. Reaching a door marked 'Maintenance Only', he produced a key and unlocked it. Opening it, he slipped quickly through, then closed and locked it. He now stood at the head of a flight of concrete stairs that led downward to another door giving access to the school's boiler and electrical utilities rooms. It was to the former that he now headed.

Circling around the two large hot-water tanks, he entered a narrow passage lined with the pipes carrying the water throughout the building. There was a lot more pressure in the pipes then many people realized, with considerable potential for destruction if they burst at certain locations. Moving along them, he produced a flashlight from a small pack so as to study them as he passed, looking for a certain spot.

He patched many places where the pipes had been crudely patched, but he was looking for a specific location. When he finally found it, he smiled a sinister smile, nodded to himself, then began rummaging through his pack again. He soon produced a small device. As he regarded it with a self-satisfied smirk, the lights in the passage suddenly went on.

"Well, Mister Barr, taking night courses? Or, should I call you 'Del Rose'?" The intruder spun around, eyes widening in shock..."Kim Possible!" He began fumbling in one pocket as he stared at the smiling teen heroine in alarm.

"Oh, don't bother trying to set off that nanotech you put in me to make me..."

Ron Stoppable stopped typing, head dropping as his hands balled into fists. A low, angry growl rumbled in his throat.

"Yeah, too bad it couldn't really go like that, huh? And, shouldn't that be 'passed', instead of the first 'patched'?" The voice speaking almost in his ear made Ron shoot to his feet, mouth opening to let out a startled cry. But a hand clamped over it before a sound could escape, as he found himself looking into a pair of all too familiar emerald eyes. Then Shego put a finger to her lips. "Shhh! Don't want to wake Kimmie up, do we?"

Ron's eyes darted to his bed, on which Kim lay, sleeping. He nodded slowly, and Shego removed her hand, then ostentatiously wiped it off on his sleeve. He sighed, then sat back down, turned to his computer, and deleted the document he'd been working on. "Yeah, would have been nice." He muttered quietly.

It was Saturday afternoon, three days before Middleton's citizens would go to the polls to elect their Mayor. Electing a President the week before had been an event, but the scandals and general weirdness surrounding the Mayoral race had caused it to generate enough excitement to rival the previous event.

Nothing to having Shego turn up in his attic room, however. Ron's eyes darted from the thief to the closed window and back again, then narrowed suspiciously. "How did you get in through there, without letting in a draft?"

Shego was looking at the recumbent Kim, and didn't take her eyes off the girl as she made a dismissive gesture. "Feh, Ninja Magic, that's all."

Ron's face registered shock, wonder, and disbelief in rapid succession. "Really?"

Shego shrugged. "That, or I walked in the front door. Doctor D is downstairs talking with your Mother, so I decided to come up and see if you've written anything for that story we discussed."

"Oh." There actually seemed to be a bit of disappointment in Ron's tone, as if he would have preferred the first explanation. "Just the earliest bits. Guess I can show you." He opened another document on the screen. "Here we go...Shego?"

"Hmm?" The thief tore her eyes away from Kim, and leaned over Ron's shoulder to read what was on the screen. "Hmmm, well, you got 'Sparky' right, character wise...but I don't like that 'Most Villainous Babe' award thing, I mean, that's pretty much Mego's reason, too!"

Ron made a face. "Well, I was thinking of some kind of beauty treatment, but that makes you seem pretty vain, not to mention kinda dumb, going to an abandoned warehouse in the middle of the night for something like that!"

Shego shrugged. "Meh! You have a point, but this isn't supposed to be taken seriously, is it? How about a full body wax?" Ron's eyes popped wide, then he began blinking rapidly. "Full...body...wax? Y-you actually get something like that?"

Shego tried successfully to suppress a snicker. "Sure, even the eyebrows, didn't Kimmie ever get one?" Then her face sobered and she looked again at the sleeping girl.

"She-I-well-how would I know!" Ron nearly hurt his throat trying to control the volume on his voice. "And that's-that's a little much for my story. Um, how about an herbal wrap?"

"Throw in a coconut scrub and you've got a deal." Shego responded absently. "Can't believe we haven't woken her." Ron broke off typing to look at Kim. The girl hadn't stirred, not the slightest. "I know, she's been like that the last few days. Dropping off like that, with me. Thursday after school, on the couch in her living room while we were watching TV. Then yesterday, on the bus coming back from the Upperton game. Even with everyone so hyper, Kim put her head on my shoulder and went out like a light!"

"Yeah, bummer to win the game, but get eliminated from the conference championship." Shego remarked, sounding fairly sincere in her sympathy.

Ron shrugged. "We didn't know until we got back to the school that Lowerton-Wilder had won. They had one conference loss, to us, we have two, so all we have left is one non-conference game to end the season, and that's it!" He went back to writing his story, while continuing to talk. "I know how Kim sleeps. I've held her after missions where she wore herself completely out! And she never sleeps that...so still! She's always twitching, moving, talking in her sleep! But not now, she just lies there, so quiet! And I'd have thought going to sleep would scare her, if she has something in her head that she's worried about?"

Shego shrugged, then spoke in a surprisingly sympathetic tone. "I wouldn't know, Stoppable. Finding out a few things about my own head lately that I don't like..." Then she stopped, and regarded him through narrowed eyes, "And that had better not appear in print, got it?"

"Of course not." Ron commented flatly. "That's the sort of thing I never put in my stories, even if it's a villain's secret." He snorted. "Did I ever tell anyone Killigan's secret hobby? Or Amy's dietary problems? Someone could mess her up badly if they wanted to, with that knowledge."

"Cool your jets, Stoppable, wouldn't be me if I didn't..." Shego broke off with a scowl. _"Be 'me'? That's a laugh, beginning to doubt I know who 'me' is!" _"Just never mind. I trust you, kinda. Has Kimmie shown any real emotion this past week?"

"Well, yeah! Yesterday, when we got back to Middleton, and Coach Barkin named me the team's MVP, and boy did he choke on that! Anyway, she was happy for me, and I mean really happy! As in, PDA right in front of Mister Barkin! Not that he said anything, but still. But then it went away, and she was all quiet when my Dad picked us up and took us home."

Shego was silent for a while as Ron concentrated on typing. Then she sighed, and turned to look over Ron's shoulder again, as she observed, "But she's still functioning normally, intellectually. She figured out who the villain was, though if I had known what she did...meh, never mind that."

"Yeah, she turned in two 'A' papers in Math and Latin yesterday, nothing wrong with her IQ, that's for sure! And figuring out who the villain was didn't do much good, did it?" Ron's frustration was clear in his voice. Shego rolled her eyes.

"Stoppable, the only thing he actually did was hire those Ninja girls to plant that stuff in Kim's head, and good luck proving that in a court of law! The rest was all planning, he didn't actually endanger anyone, and unlike on TV, letting someone commit a felony you know he's planning can be called entrapment by a smart attorney. You'll have to settle for the fact that his life has taken a serious downturn. The DA fired him, Rockwaller has dropped him from his 'ticket', and his father is really ticked off at him, and don't underestimate how bad that could be for him. At least I got a chance to put a scare into him." Then she clamped her jaw shut and winced. But it was too late.

Ron's head snapped around. "_You _put a scare into him? When?"

Shego sighed. "Damn, getting too careless around you, Stoppable! Yeah, we set him up. When he came to meet his little weasel to get those hairs from Doc, he met me instead. That was plan B, Plan A was to get some of his own hairs and let him plant them, but Bernie...well, my way we got a confession from him. On tape, but not admissible in court, trust me! But his father listened to it, and that's what we'll have to settle for." Looking for a change of subject, Shego pointed at the window. "That doesn't look small enough..." She looked closer, "Oh, I see the signs, you put a larger one in."

"Well, Doy!" Ron replied, smirking, "I told you Dad had to do it, so I'd have a way out in case of a fire." He looked over at Kim. "Man, she was so scared I'd killed myself. Plus running downstairs with my pajama bottoms in her hand, right past Mom! She didn't know if she'd die of guilt or embarrassment, according to what she told me later."

Shego's curiosity was piqued. "Stoppable, I know you're made of rubber, but just how did you survive the fall?"

Ron's face reddened slightly. "The fall wasn't the problem, my MMP kicked in, and I landed on my feet. But...I stood up too quickly, and kinda passed out. Coulda had something to do with embarrassment too, I guess. Fell on my face, which I guess is lucky, too, under the circumstances! When Kim spotted me, she tried to spin around without stopping, and fell down. Unintentionally gave me a smack on...well, she woke me back up, but I think all the blood rushing to her face made her a bit dizzy."

"Or something." Shego remarked, smirking. She looked out the window. "Getting nasty out there." Ron looked around her and frowned when he saw rain falling heavily, driven by a strong wind. "Man, going to have to ask Mom or Dad to take Kim home!" He looked at his girlfriend. She hadn't moved at all, so still she might as well have been...he shook his head violently. "I know better, but I hoped her first session with the psychiatrist would...make her better, you know?"

For personal reasons, Shego preferred not to talk about that subject. As a distraction, she walked over to the bed, and looked down at Kim. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty, wake up!" That attempt in a normal voice drew no response, so she raised it slightly, cutting off Ron's protest. "Kimmie! Princess! Rise and Shine!" She leaned over and shook Kim by her good shoulder, "Kimmie! Come on, girl, it's your evil arch enemy, here! This is very bad hero behavior!" Midway through the last line, Kim's eyes opened.

It took her a moment to focus on Shego's face. When recognition dawned, she didn't look alarmed. Instead she merely looked curiously at the pale woman. "Shego? Why are you here?"

"_Okay, this is getting insulting! I need to get a rise out of her!"_ Then inspiration struck. She smirked, "Just wanted to see the scene of the crime." Kim's brow furrowed in confusion. "Crime?"

Shego smiled wickedly. "Think the charge might be 'boyfriend abuse'!"

Kim still looked confused for a moment. Then her eyes widened, her face went bright red, and she shot upright in the bed. Her eyes locked on Ron, "Ron Stoppable, you TOLD her? Why on Earth...oh!" Her angry tone dropped to nearly a whisper, "You told me, right, the story thing, sorry." She looked at Shego again. "It wasn't funny, you know, I really thought I'd hurt him!" She protested quietly.

"_Stoppable was right, quick flash of passion, then it's gone." _Shego thought. Aloud she said, "Up and at 'em, Princess, bad weather outside, me and the Doc will give you a lift home when he's finished talking to Mrs S." She offered Kim a hand up, just to see her reaction. After a moment biting her lip, Kim accepted, even though she hardly needed it. "How long was I asleep this time, Ron?"

Ron thought about hedging, but decided not to. "About forty minutes, Kim." The girl made a face. "What's going on, I get a full night's sleep, and then this again? There has to be something from this stuff in my shoulder causing this!" Her exasperation clear in her voice, she straightened her clothes and headed for the stairs down, before abruptly veering towards Ron. "Sorry Ron, almost forgot!" And she gave him a long, sweet kiss before turning once more to the stairs. "Don't forget the homework, Ron! MVP doesn't buy you any breaks from Mister Barkin!"

Ron looked heavenwards with a 'why me' expression. "I know, KP, I know!" Then he looked at Shego. "Things are really weird lately, aren't they?"

The woman snorted in amusement. "You have no idea, Stoppable, you _really _have no idea!"

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"We'll definitely need to come up with funds to carry out proper inspections and repairs to our schools, to make up for the neglect under Mrs Geary's administration, Drew." Jean Stoppable commented, while paging through a number of reports that she had received copies of the previous day. Exactly why was a question, she wasn't in office yet. But, with everything that had happened, it appeared that Drew Lipsky was going to win the election.

Drakken sipped at his hot tea and nodded agreement. "As well as see if we can reclaim that money Chief Locke embezzled. But as far as the repairs go, we do need to find out exactly why the maintenance shortcomings were not found during regular inspections...ah, Shego, and Kimberley! And how are you, young lady?"

Kim managed to smile politely. "I'm fine, Sir. How much money did Chief Locke get, anyway?"

Jean Stoppable scowled as she answered, "He had six falsified salaries being paid into a bank account in New Mexico, Kim. Rather, the people supposedly being paid didn't actually exist. Since it was an interstate transfer, the Federal Authorities are now involved. Chief Locke himself has been arrested in Portland, Oregon, but there's some kind of delay in his extradition to Middleton. Also, a former partner in his security firm has filed a lawsuit against him, but we haven't heard the details yet."

Kim just stood there, shaking her head. "I go all over the world, and fight evil, and I don't see what's happening right here in Middleton!" She muttered as she dropped into an easy chair.

"Well, Kimberley, your getting involved in local Law Enforcement would actually be more problematical then your fighting supervillains, believe it or not!" Drakken observed.

"Yeah, you'd be wasted chasing people like Locke, or Sheila Geary." Shego remarked. She then looked at Jean and Drakken. "No chance of her getting jail time, is there?"

"Unlikely, Shego." Drakken responded, "She distributed the funds allocated to her office as she chose, and she did spend it on the schools! Her priorities can be questioned, certainly, but no incidents occurred where damage was done, or lives endangered. She may face civil suits, but it's unlikely she'll be prosecuted. The District Attorney's office is busy dealing with the fallout of Franklin Barr's resignation, and rumors that are circulating may force the re-opening of many of his cases. And that will be expensive, we'll have to be aware of that as well, Jean." Jean Stoppable nodded, but her attention was on Kim, who seemed to be sulking. But a cure for that arrived just then.

"Look who's awake!" Came Dean Stoppable's cheerful voice as he walked into the room, Hana in his arms. Drakken twitched involuntarily, but otherwise managed a smile at the sight of the child. But he did fold his hands in his lap so that the injured one was protected by the other. Shego noticed, and tried to suppress a grin. Kim looked up, and smiled at Hana, who wasn't quite awake enough to respond.

Jean stood and took Hana from her husband, smiling at the little girl. "Did you have a nice nap, Hana? Want to give me a smile? Awww, that's my girl!" She looked at Dean, then Kim, and finally Drakken. "Drew, I have to start dinner, and I need to re-educate my husband as to how to fend for himself when I work late, I'll be back in just a few minutes." She walked over to Kim's chair. "Hang on to her while I'm gone, please?"

"No problem, Mrs Stoppable!" Kim replied happily, and accepted Hana, setting the baby in her lap. "How's my favorite little friend? How have you been? I know, we saw each other just the other day, but it seems such a long, long, time not to see you, Hana!" While Kim continued to interact with Hana, Shego sauntered over and sat down next to Drakken, eying the stacks of reports and documents on the coffee table. "Meh! Too much paperwork for me, glad you don't want me as Chief of Police!"

Drakken looked at her with a faintly amused look. "Well, I may have changed my mind, Shego! After all, would you be any worse then the incumbent?"

The pale thief leaned slightly away from Drakken, looking askance. "You are kidding, right?" She asked warily.

Drakken snorted. "Yes, I am. I know you're not a 'organization' type of person, so I doubt you'd care to run one! But, that does remind me!" He pulled out his cellphone awkwardly opened It up, and managed to find a number on speed dial and place a call. "Hello? Yes, this is Drew Lipsky, for Doctor Director?" Both Shego's and Kim's eyes widened as they listened. "Yes, I'll wait." About ten seconds later.."Hmmm? Yes, I'm that Drew Lipsky. What? Yes, I'm serious!" He rolled his eyes as Shego smirked. "Hello? Ah, Doctor Director...you can tell that young man not to worry about a 'trace', I'm at the Stoppable home. Besides, you'd think he'd expect you to know to keep me talking, wouldn't you? And that he'd not say that so loudly!" He listened for a moment, lips twitching.

Shego had her hand over her mouth. She looked at Kim, who still seemed incredulous. When Kim noticed her watching, she sent a quizzical look st the thief. Shego responded with a shrug, as the Drakken's conversation resumed.

"Yes, well, I did ask you to recommend a candidate for the post of Chief of Police, remember? Well, as you may have heard, we have a greater need for a good candidate now." He listened briefly. "I told you I was serious at the time, are you saying you haven't given it any thought at all?" Drakken was clearly exercising consider self-control to keep his voice level, though he wasn't being too successful keeping a grin off his face. "Well, I understand how busy you must be, even when you don't have to worry quite so much about me, but I would appreciate it if you or one of your staff might propose some possibilities to me in the next few days? Doesn't have to be ex-GJ, you know?" He listened for a minute, nodding. "Very well, I'll let you get back to your work, Doctor Director. Goodbye."

As Drakken hung up, Kim turned her attention back to Hana, arranging the little girl's hair with her fingers. But after a moment, she spoke up. "Doctor Drakken?"

The scientist looked up from a report he'd started to pick up. "Yes, Kimberley?"

"I-I think I've been ignoring a lot of things I shouldn't have." The girl looked up to meet his curious gaze. "When we first met, and started our 'relationship'," She grinned faintly at her own choice of words, as did Drakken, "You were a lot more...physical, I guess is the word, or maybe active. I mean, you once tried to take me on in a fight!"

Drakken's grin actually didn't slip as he replied, "Just the once, Kimberley, that was more than enough to learn not to try again!"

Kim shrugged. "Yeah, well there were other things. And I found out you were a pole-vaulter in college, and quite good at it!" Drakken nodded, but showed puzzlement as to where Kim was going with this. "But...ever since Lake Michigan, I think, you've been much less active..." her voice trailed off, a questioning look in her eyes.

Drakken nodded in understanding. "And you're wondering how much to blame you are for my less 'active' behavior? Truthfully, only a bit, Kimberley. Yes, I have back problems from that little high dive of mine! But then again, you're not responsible for this." He indicated the scar on his left cheek. Then he massaged his left shoulder. "Or the fact that this hurts abominably when it's cold and damp! Or the sunken eyes I had when we first met, which Ronald has kept in his description of me ever since, the black shadows, remember? Just recovering from something I did to myself! The shoulder gets blamed on Gemini and WWEE. Broken foot that sometimes still pains me? Dementor! And this is.." He reached up to his hairline and peeled back what was revealed to be a hairpiece, revealing some stubble, much of it gray. "I've burned my hair off so many times, I'm surprised it still bothers to grow back! And never mind how many sets of contact lens I've gone through! Probably lucky I've never managed to fuse a pair to my eyeballs!"

He stood up. "All in all, I haven't exactly taken good care of myself, in my chosen line of work! On the plus side, I have a perfectly lovely therapist, and quite enjoy my sessions with her."

Shego quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" A hint of innuendo in her tone made Drakken's eyes narrow. "Shego! It's purely professional! She just happens to be an intellectually gifted young woman, and an excellent conversationalist!" He looked at his watch. "We really should be going." He turned to see Jean Stoppable coming back into the room, looking back over her shoulder with a faint smile. "Jean, I'm sorry, but I have to go, we can try to get together another day."

Shego stood up. "Yeah, we're giving Kimmie a ride home, because of the rain." she informed Drakken.

"Oh, you don't have to bother, I could..." Jean's voice trailed off as she looked back towards the kitchen, "..though it would be unwise for me to leave the house at this time..."

Drakken hastened to reassure her. "It's no bother, Jean, just a short hop for us. Just as long as Kim calls ahead, and has her brothers turn off their Air Defence system." Kim shot him a look, then reconsidered, and reached for her Kimmunicator, as Jean took Hana from her lap.

Drakken passed on the loan of an umbrella to reach the hovercraft. Instead he produced a small device that created a protective shield against the rain, if not the wind. As they walked out, Kim studied the field. "This would be an interesting thing to market, Doctor D." She observed, causing a twitch from Shego's lips.

"Well, it would, if one or two components weren't...er, rare!" Kim looked at him suspiciously, but let the comment pass. Once in the hovercraft, she sat silently until Shego had started the engines, and Drakken spoke to her. "Kimberley, seat belt?" Startled, Kim's cheeks reddened slightly as she buckled herself in.

As soon as she was secure she looked at Drakken again. "Even if I didn't cause your problems, why didn't it even occur to me before that I might have? I mean, was I denying any responsibility? I mean, I didn't justify it as being an unfortunate result of our battle, I didn't even consider it at all! Except...I remember feeling really bad when they loaded you in the medevac helicopter. But then the next time I saw you, you seemed...fully recovered."

"Feh! That was mostly due to the pain medication. Which may also have accounted for my holding my Static Immobilizer backwards when I fired it." Shego couldn't help snickering. Drakken gave her a dark look. "Having the tiniest movement generate static electricity strong enough to straighten your hair was hardly a pleasant situation, Shego!" Then a cunning look came into his eyes. "But then again, you experienced it yourself, I forgot." Shego's eyes widened, and her head snapped around to stare in shock at Drakken. "WHAT?"

"Indoor voice, Shego, and eyes on the...well, watch where you're flying." Drakken admonished her, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. "The lair's surveillance video system was working quite well that evening, and I really thought you knew better then to touch anything on my workbench. Just how long did it take for you to get your hair under control? Didn't see you again until past noon of the next day!"

Though somewhat amused by what her imagination was conjuring up in her head, Kim also found her hand on the belt buckle, ready to abandon ship. _"Couple of broken bones versus being in a small confined space when Shego goes nuclear? What a choice!" _But Shego merely gritted her teeth for a moment, then suddenly relaxed and exhaled. "Okay, Doc, you win, I'll never mention the 'Super Muscle Relaxant' incident ever again!" Then she turned a hard glare on him. "But I want to have all copies of that surveillance footage!"

Drakken smirked. "Shego, please! I have to retain one copy for insurance, after all! Now, shall we discuss forgetting 'Hair Club for Henchmen'?"

Shego sucked her cheeks in, trying not to laugh. "Killigan _must_ have spiked that eggnog with a 'wee dram'. I never get that goofy on the real stuff." she managed to grit out. Drakken's smirk widened, but Shego ignored him. She brought the hovercraft down to a landing in the Possibles' driveway. "Your stop, Princess!"

Drakken turned to look at Kim. "Would you like to borrow my rain shield...oh, no need." Anne Possible had emerged from the front door of the house with an umbrella. Though the wind gave her a bit of difficulty, she approached the hovercraft as Drakken opened the swing up door.

"Beginning to make a habit of flying my daughter around, Drew?" Anne asked with a faint smile.

Drakken nodded, face serious. "Yes, I'm afraid when I'm done being the Mayor, I'll have to make a serious effort to regain my reputation as an evil villain!" Kim gave him a dubious look as she exited the vehicle, but Anne just smiled. "Well, your resume will say 'former politician', may not be that hard at all!" she observed.

Drakken looked thoughtful, then nodded. "You have a point there."

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Monday saw a significant upswing in Kim's spirits, starting when her mother told her she could begin a limited program of exercise to begin strengthening her shoulder. This put her quite a bit ahead of schedule, all due to her mysterious visitors.

In any event, she could hardly sit through the school day. Ron actually claimed that his mystery meat vibrated until it turned to liquid, simply because he left his tray too near her. Monique claimed it was actually because the lunch lady gave just gave him gravy in the first place.

As soon as school was done, she headed home at once. Ron had to stay and practice a new offensive scheme for the final game of the football season. When Kim arrived home, she raced upstairs to her own room, so happy to be back in it, and changed into some exercise clothes. Coming back down, she looked at the schedule her mother had written out for her. _"This isn't enough! I can do a little more, at least twice...well, half again as many reps!" _But as she hit the first floor, the doorbell rang.

She opened the door to find Bernadette Barr standing outside, and Monique and Bonnie approaching along the sidewalk beyond her. Surprised, Kim got past it quickly and smiled happily. "Bernie! Hi, should you be running around yet?"

Bernie smiled. "As my grandfather used to say, it's good to get out and get the stink blown off! _And_, I'm here to supervise your workout." Kim's smile vanished. "What? Doesn't Mom trust me to stick to her directions?"

Bernie shrugged. "Is that a rhetorical question, Kimpatient?"

"Bernie! Stop it!" Kim protested, then grinned. "Well, she's right, as usual! But what's to stop me from exercising more after you leave?"

"Your word, of course." Bernie responded reasonably. Then she turned as she became aware of Kim glancing over her shoulder. She saw Monique and an apprehensive Bonnie, and smiled at them both. "Hey, girls, nice to see you both again! I'm here to play drill sergeant for Kim, but we can wait a bit, if you guys have something important to talk about."

"Nah, just came over to hang with Kim for a bit, we can watch, and provide moral support, in depth analysis, social commentary, whatever!" Monique replied with a grin. Kim rolled her eyes, then stepped back and motioned everyone in.

Then a slightly wicked smile played across her lips. "Actually, I can use some help clearing a little space in the den to work out in, and since I can't use my arm, and Bernie can't do any lifting, I guess the two of you can help out." That drew a groan from Monique, while Bonnie made a show of checking her watch before Monique clamped a hand over it, and shook her head. "NO way you're bailing on me now, Bon!"

Kim had exaggerated the amount of labor required, only the shifting of a table and some chairs used for Family Game Night. Bernie carefully took a seat in an easy chair. Then she looked at Bonnie, noticing some tension in the girl's posture. "If you're worried for your father about that money, my Dad is going to cover all the bills from the election that Frank didn't. But, as to the rest, even if Frank did talk your father into running, he's not assuming responsibility for any of the rest of the money he spent on the campaign."

Bonnie shrugged. "That's fair, I suppose. I'm glad your father is covering those debts, though, they were a lot of money. Still don't know why your brother quit, though! Or was it just because he figured they had no chance of winning?"

Kim and Bernie exchanged glances, and both of the other girls' eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Okay, Girlfriend, what's the story?" Monique asked. Kim kept her eyes on Bernie, who hesitated, then chose to reply. "Frank was involved in a deal that was more then a little on the shady side. He got caught out, and lost his job, among other things." Kim busied herself with getting ready so as not to show any reaction to Bernie's story. Monique wasn't buying it completely, sure there was a lot being left out, but for once let it pass unchallenged. "Well, there are still a couple of questions you haven't answered yet, Girlfriend! Did you ever find out how that stuff got in your head, and how?"

"Oh! Right, never told you the latest..." Kim told the story of the 'Ninja Nurses' and Herman Bortel. "But, it turns out Herman's partner in developing the Nanomoths didn't rat him out. The Japanese authorities tracked him down, and he swears he didn't do it! And, since they caught him and some frat buddies he made over there trying to duplicate the little pests, he really had no reason to lie." Bonnie grimaced at the mention of the nanomoths, but Bernie's next words caused both her and Kim to blush.

"Never had a chance to tell you both before, but that was very brave of both of you to seal yourself in, not actually knowing what was going to happen to you."

"Well, my family was all there, after all, I couldn't..." Bonnie ran out of words, which caused Monique's eyebrows to climb, before the brunette found her voice again, "Besides, I didn't really mean to seal us in that soon, I mean, there might have been time to still get out, but the door stuck!" Kim rolled her eyes, she clearly remembered Bonnie pulling the door shut with all her might, and continuing to pull on it to make sure it was tightly sealed, even after the hissing from the tank had begun.

Monique rolled her eyes, then changed the subject. "Kim, are the sodas in the usual place? I need one, does anyone else?" Kim nodded. "They're there, if the Tweebs haven't cleaned them out." Bernie declined one, but Bonnie nodded, and Monique left to get them.

Kim's workout went smoothly, while small talk and gossip ensued, until they were interrupted by the doorbell. Monique went to answer, and came back with eyes wide and a nervous look on her face. Shego came in right behind her. Looking around at the assemblage, the pale thief smirked. "Can I have a word in private, Possible?"

Kim frowned, but then brightened. "What did you think of the Tweebs' new 'anti-ninja' alarm, Shego? I mean, that was you last night, wasn't it?" She asked slyly. The scowl she got in response was all the answer she needed. Deciding not to push things, though, she got to her feet. "Let's go in the living room, I think I know why you're here." Shego gave her a suspicious look, but followed her out, after giving Bernie a friendly nod.

Kim went all the way through the living room to the foyer, before turning to face Shego. "GJ found out about your problem, from a WWEE Agent who spied on Alpha, and they seem to think the sitch isn't a bad one, with your plasma neutralized." As Shego's look darkened, Kim continued. "But Mom considers it a life-threatening sitch, because you might accidentally do yourself serious harm if your powers are set off accidentally, or by instinct." That caused Shego's look to change to one of puzzlement.

Kim turned and reached up on to a small shelf meant for outgoing mail and other things that was mounted next to the front door, and took something down. "Here's a copy of the flash drive the ninjas left, GJ has the original, now." She handed it to Shego.

The thief stood looking at the object in her hand for a moment, eyes blinking rapidly. Then she closed her fingers over it. "Um, Thanks, Princess. And thank your Mom, too, okay? I—I've got to go, things to do!" The thief's discomfort made it hard for Kim to keep a straight face as she replied. "No Big. But this stuff in me might still not be related to what's in you, you know. And, I don't think the ninjas made it, because they gave away too much info on that drive. So, I still don't know why they took Alpha away from GJ."

Shego made a face. "I know, and not my problem, in that order! Finding out who originally made the stuff would be nice, but I can't think of any way to go about doing that with any chance of succeeding, yet!" She looked at Kim a moment longer, then away. "Got to go, Princess, get back in shape, wouldn't want you wimping out of our next fight, whenever that happens!" Not waiting for a response, she opened the door and left hurriedly, pocketing the data Kim had given her.

Kim closed the door behind her and leaned on it, sighing. Then she shrugged, and felt a slight twinge in her shoulder. She grimaced, and massaged it as she headed back to the den.

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On Tuesday, the polls were busy. In the end, only eighty-one percent of the registered voters turned out in Middleton. And the results were interesting, to say the least.

There were some odd results among write-in votes. Arnie Upton, the retired Mayor, received forty-one. Twenty-nine people voted for Kim Possible. But then again, there were nine votes for Rufus, though the handwriting was suspect, and three for Ron Stoppable.

Joe Geary got thirteen percent of the remaining vote, and Bennett Rockwaller nineteen percent. The rest went to Drew Lipsky. His victory speech was surprisingly restrained, for those who knew him. And the only mishap was an unexpected bear hug from DNAmy, who had been doing a little experimenting on herself. A quick trip to the emergency room showed no broken ribs, however.

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On Wednesday, Drakken received a visit from some 'concerned' citizens. Shego spotted them coming first. Frustrated at her continuing medical problems, she spent the morning rock climbing above the lair. She did this occasionally, and had three different areas that were her favorites, rated 'medium', 'hard' and 'trying not to lose my temper and kill the Doc' for difficulty. Naturally, there was no 'easy' route.

She had just reached the top of the 'hard' climb and was resting, breath steaming in the air, when she spotted the blue SUV driving up the road to the lair entrance. She wasn't too surprised to see visitors coming, at least until the Doc opened an office in Middleton, which he was in the process of renting. But when she saw the two men who got out, and the one they left minding the vehicle as they went inside, an alarm went off in her head, and she started back down as fast as she dared.

"Doctor Drakken? There are two men here to speak with you." Drakken barely acknowledged the henchman's announcement as he focused his attention on his computer screen. "They say their names are Grimm, and Dyer." The henchman added.

It took a moment, but Drakken finally looked up, brow knitted. "Grim and Dire, eh? Well, show them in!" The henchman spun and walked away. Drakken had dismissed the extra guards on Monday, having received reliable information that he was safe from any threat from WWEE, which was reportedly in the middle of a little internal civil war. Now he was back to using 'brawn before brains' henchmen again. Returning to his work, Drakken continued to type on his keyboard with a scowl on his face. He did notice the arrival of his visitors, however he chose not to acknowledge them.

'Grimm' was big, slightly balding, with a little extra weight around the middle. But he was obviously quite strong, nevertheless. 'Dyer' was the opposite. Though well-muscled, he was thin, and graying on top. He also seemed to be a bit fidgety. After a minute or so waiting to be acknowledged, Grimm cleared his throat. "Mister Lipsky, or would you prefer Mayor? We wanted to speak with you as two concerned citizens."

Drakken responded without looking up. "Not Mayor, no, Not taking office until January, after all! And what exactly are your concerns, Gentlemen?" His failure to look up caused the two men to exchange glances, then Grimm, jaw tightening, continued. "Well, we've heard of your revised plans for the Middleton Plaza project, and we feel that the original plans were perfectly sound, and there's no reason to change them at all."

"Hrmm? Well, my reasons are clearly documented, gentlemen. I'm trying to do the most efficient job I can. And my proposals will get the best results for the money we'll be spending, as far as the community is concerned." Drakken's scowl deepened as he studied his screen. "Gnnn! Not quite right!"

Face showing increasing impatience, Grimm struggled to keep his voice even as he spoke. "Many people have made plans based on the original proposal, Mister Lipsky. Plans they really would hate to give up, due to there potential profitability...look, would you mind at least paying attention when I'm talking to you?" The increasing volume of Grimm's voice didn't faze Drakken at all.

"I'd rather not, Gentlemen, these calculations are delicate!"

Getting a touch red in the face, Grimm looked at Dyer, who now spoke up. "Then it would be a shame if your calculations were to be disrupted, wouldn't it?"

Drakken now smiled grimly. "Catastrophic! I mean, look at the legs of my desk, now!" The two men frowned, looked at each other, then down at the front legs of the work desk. Seeing how they were misshapen, and reinforced with a pair of cinder blocks, they then noticed the discolored area of the floor. They began to rotate away from each other, each following the outline of the circular discolored area. When they had turned their backs completely to Drakken, They looked at each other, and then straight up, as Drakken spoke behind them, "Calibrating a Death Ray is a finicky business, Gentlemen, especially when it's live! I mean, can you imagine what would happen to my desk if it went off?"

Shego had reached the level of the road and was ghosting up to the entrance when she heard a loud voice coming from inside, and saw the man by the SUV straighten up. She ducked down behind some brush and listened.

"Death Rays? Here I am, about to make the guy an 'offer', and I'm standing under a freakin Death Ray?" The two men emerged from the entrance into Shego's sight, the big man berating his companion.

"But Boss! How was I to know?" The slighter man whined, "I thought that Stoppable kid made all that stuff up! Now what are we going to do?"

That only made the larger man more apoplectic. "Do? Well, that depends! What else did that Stoppable kid _not_ make up, hmmm? I mean, does he have those mind-control thingies, or the giant robots?"

"You mean the big one, or the little ones that grow into giant ones? Because I'm pretty sure those ain't real, Boss!" He cringed under Grimm's glare. Then the big man threw his hands up, and gazed heavenwards for a moment, before looking at the third man. "What are you looking at? Get in the car, we're leaving!" He smacked 'Dyer' on the back of the head. "You too, moron!"

After they left, Shego made her way into the lair, to find Drakken beaming happily at a freshly discolored circle in front of his desk. Noting her arrival he clapped his hands together. "Fully re-calibrated! I wonder if I need to install one in my office in Middleton? A portable one, obviously!"

Shego stared at him incredulously for a moment. Then she gestured towards the entrance. "What about them? Are we going to wake up with a horse's head in our beds?"

Souring slightly, Drakken made a dismissive gesture. "Not likely! Maybe a horse's ass's head..." He went back behind his desk and sat down.

"Huh?" Shego flushed and almost smacked herself for her own lameness.

"Wha-oh, Eddie is out of the hospital, and Mother promised we'd take him in." Drakken replied nonchalantly, while checking to make sure the medical kit was in it's proper place under the desk. And not just for his sake, he hoped Shego wouldn't flare her plasma.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKING POLITICIAN'S MIND!" Shego bellowed. The sounds of doors and shutters being slammed echoed down the corridors as the henchmen throughout the lair took cover. "After what he did!" She said in a slightly lower voice, fists clenching.

"_I_ didn't make the promise, Mother did! Besides, it turns out you were voted 'Hottest Biker Babe' on that site. Though the runner-up did make some disparaging comments on how you might have secured the win..." Drakken let his voice trail off, awaiting the pale thief's reaction.

Shego stood there seething for a moment. "I don't give a DAMN how the voting went!" She spun on her heels and stalked off towards her quarters. Drakken exhaled in relief, then consulted his watch. _Hmmm, time to power up her computer, then find the website, and the comments...shower, put on fresh clothes..."_ He sat back and waited. Twenty-five minutes later Shego stalked through again, heading this time to the hangar. "Going somewhere?" He asked innocently.

"OUT!" She snapped, "And I may not be back until tomorrow, depending on whether or not I have to make bail!"

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On Thursday, the same foursome as before assembled in the Possible den while Kim exercised. "So, Bernie, you babysat Bonnie too?" Monique asked, bored with watching Kim.

Bernie nodded. "Just twice, though, then her parents went with someone else. Or rather, forced her older sisters to do it."

"Which was totally _not_ fair!" Bonnie snapped out, "Neither you being fired, or me having to put up with them as babysitters! It wasn't your fault I got scared that one time, not at all!"

"What happened?" Kim asked, sipping from a soda as she took a break.

Bernie grimaced slightly. "Oh some Juniors who liked the wrong type of movie were getting their kicks scaring babysitters. I was going to be their fourth victim, but they scared Bonnie instead."

"I was doing my little cheer routine..." Bonnie flushed when Kim and Monique stared at her in amused surprise, "Yes, even back then! I had a little baton...but a real one, mind you, and a cute outfit...and I was doing my routine, and then there was this face in the window, and I screamed!"

"Then what happened, girl, you can't leave it like that!" Monique exclaimed.

Bonnie smirked. "Bernie grabbed my baton and ran out the front door. A few minutes later she came back in, dragging this guy by the ankle! She pulled his mask off and showed me he wasn't a monster, he didn't seem to be able to focus, for some reason..." She looked at Bernie, who squirmed a little, "And I kicked him, and ran upstairs. Bernie called the police, and turned him in. Ironically, he's a rookie cop now, Jerry Combs!"

"Where did you kick him, BonBon?" Kim asked, then winced, "Sorry, slipped out!"

Bonnie shrugged. "No Big. And as to the kick? In my defense, I was nine years old, and didn't know any better." Both Kim's and Monique's eyes widened, then they both grinned. "I guess you were laying the foundation for your future rep, Bon!" Monique observed, smirking. Bonnie responded by sticking her tongue out, then she snorted and nodded. "You could be right!"

A change of topic soon occurred. "Are you planning on coming back to the nurse's office, Miss Barr?" Bonnie asked.

Bernie responded with a suspicious scowl. "Why so formal, suddenly? And yes, I will, for the remainder of the year, then I think I'll obtain a certification as a Physical Therapist. With my Navy training and experience, that won't take long. Speaking of which, that's about it, Kim, how does your shoulder feel?"

Kim, who had been rubbing the joint in question, stopped abruptly and then blushed guiltily. "A bit tight, just like yesterday. No pain at all, though, I swear!"

"Well, come over here, let me see." Bernie instructed her. After giving the shoulder a brief exam and massaging it a bit, she nodded. "Okay, go take a shower, but leave the sling off, you don't really need it now, and a little motion will keep it from knotting up again." But as Kim rose, Bonnie suddenly remembered something.

"Hey! There are advertisements on one of the big networks, they're doing a special on that...incident you guys were involved in last year!" Both Bernie and Kim winced at that, before Bernie replied, "Yeah, they've already asked me to do an interview. Melinda is, so I agreed, too."

Kim nodded somberly. "Yeah, I guess I will, too. But first I agreed to let Summer Gale interview me about it, on her Saturday evening show."

"Why on Earth would you do that, Girlfriend? You know that woman has some kind of grudge against you!" Monique observed acidly.

Kim shrugged apologetically. "I know, but I sort of think I owe her, after the Snowmen incident."

Monique rolled her eyes, then shook her head sorrowfully. "All right, Kim, but I know this is so _not_ a good idea!"

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The final football game of the season was against Iron Ridge High. It was a traditional rivalry that was played every other year, oddly, and dated from a time when the Tri-cities didn't have enough schools to form their own conference. It was a fairly big event, in some ways, including a wager between the Mayors of the respective 'towns'. This was also probably the last game in the rivalry, because attendance at IRHS had fallen so much they were planning to switch to 8-man football for the next year.

Both incumbent Mayor Joe Geary and Mayor-Elect Drew Lipsky attended for Middleton, with Geary sitting with Iron Ridge's Mayor, while Drakken sat well apart, a very subdued Shego alongside him.

Kim and Bonnie sat together where they could cheer on the Cheer squad, and deal with any distractions. Like Josh Mankey, who received a dire promise from both girls if he singled out any of the cheerleaders for his attention.

Preliminary excitement generally included some kind of mascot-on-mascot pranking, and Kim thought she spotted it coming this time, but too late. Spotting the Iron Ridge mascot(The Team name was Cougars, and the Mascot costume fit the bill) and some of his schoolmates near the bleachers fiddling with some kind of remote control, Kim looked around for the Tweebs, in their 'Pep Puppy' guises. And right behind where they were standing was an overturned pail. Making a connection, Kim got up, knowing shouting would do no good, but then saw the Cougar mascot hold the device up and apparently hit the switch...and a number of car alarms in the parking lot went off.

The lot was out beyond one of the open ends of the field, so everyone had a clear view as they turned in the direction of the disturbance. And witnessed the sudden ascension of a chain of fireworks that burst about thirty feet in the air, forming the image of a bulldog's head, with sparkling 'slobber' pouring from the jowls. Some of which dripped onto the huge 'Go Cougars' banner erected so that the visiting team's buses had had to pass beneath it when they arrived. The banner ignited, but burned away so quickly that little of it survived to reach the ground.

Even Kim had to smile widely at the sight. Then she looked back to see the reactions of the mascot and his cronies, and her eyes widened when she saw them dancing around frantically in their underwear, and then even that...Kim blushed furiously and averted her eyes. _"NOOOOO! The Tweebs have created their own Nanomoths!"_

It was soon determined that all the cars whose alarms had gone off belonged to IRHS faculty members, and the Mayor. And apparently the Tweeb's version of the nanomoths had a very short life expectancy, or some form of remote control. Kim didn't know which frightened her more.

The game was entertaining, at least. Middleton came out in the Single Wing formation, with Ron taking the direct snap at tailback. The element of surprise was on the Mad Dogs' side, and they exploited it as Ron scored on two long runs in the first quarter. He then made a big play on defense, intercepting a pass and returning it deep into the Cougars' territory. Unfortunately Coach Barkin chose to switch back to the regular offense at this point, and an Iron Ridge player picked off a pass two plays later and ran it all the way back for a touchdown. Since The Middleton kicker had missed both extra point kicks, the Cougars' successful one made it 12-7 at halftime.

The two mayors made speeches at halftime, while Kim made her way over to where Drakken and Shego were sitting. After a polite exchange of greetings, Kim addressed Shego, who was working on an extra-large soda when she arrived. "You have no reason to tell me, but did that info my Mom gave you do any good? I would have asked on Wednesday at Doctor Cardien's office, but I missed you, I guess." She didn't admit to her unspoken belief that Shego had avoided her. And now the thief just kept sipping soda, eyes on the girl, rather then answer.

"Not yet, Kimberley, though we did make a discovery. However, it's Shego's story to tell." Drakken responded. "How are you enjoying the game? Is the cold weather bothering your shoulder?" He asked solicitously. Letting him steer the conversation away from Shego, Kim talked to him briefly, then returned to her seat.

The third quarter featured only one score, but even it had a surprise element. Middleton drove to the Cougars' ten yard line where they had fourth and six. The kicking team went in, but the kicker was different, and Kim peered at the figure in puzzlement, as did many others, until the announcer solved the mystery. **"Field Goal attempt by Middleton. Kicking is number 4, Gina Leo!"**

Kim gaped in amazement, then began cheering. On the field, there was no real drama. The snap was good, the hold was good, and the kick went neatly down the middle for three points. Gina left the field getting a few enthusiastic but light pats on the back, a smile on her face visible from quite a distance, helmet and face mask notwithstanding.

Kim sat down again, and turned to Bonnie. "I suspect the fine hand of my boyfriend in this! He found out Bernie did it, and even thought of asking me to!"

Late in the game Iron Ridge finally began to move the ball on offense, and marched to the two yard line, from which their quarterback scored on a keeper. They then lined up to go for two, and practically everyone was on their feet.

The quarterback took the snap, started right, then pitched the ball to the tailback going wide. But Ron Stoppable and Don Haggler cut him off and tackled him short of the goal line, leaving the score 15-13. And the Mad Dogs never let the Cougars have possession again, running the clock out with Ron running the single wing again.

The bus ride back to Middleton was appropriately raucous, and Kim didn't drop off to sleep this time.

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On Saturday, Kim went to do her interview with Summer Gale.

On Sunday morning, the TV station's management announced that Summer was being put on indefinite administrative leave, and issued an official apology to the Possible family, and especially Kim.

Nasty way to leave it, huh?

Well, please Read and Review.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

To those who reviewed last chapter. Thank to Michael Howard, Robert Teague, CajunBear73 and BlazeStryker. The Summer Gale interview of Kim belongs properly in the story about Kim dealing with therapy and her 'issues', a plot that crowded into this story. I'll start writing that one, maybe after I finish this one, maybe concurrently, we'll see. I got a new computer, light years better then my old one, and all the things I can do with it are distracting me. I don't want to short-change that story, I never do.

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On Monday morning, Doctor Drakken was having his breakfast when Shego walked in, back from whatever exercise she'd used that morning to deal with her frustrations concerning her blocked powers. She had the newspaper, which she held on to as she headed for her personal coffee machine, the most complicated-looking device Drakken had ever seen intended for the sole purpose of turning out a cup of black coffee, as Shego preferred it. It also usually made noises that if they had come from one of Drakken's inventions, he would have gone straight to 'evacuate the lair' mode. When she had her coffee and was seated, she flipped straight to a particular section of the paper. Drakken's eyebrow rose curiously as he noted which section.

"The obituaries, Shego?"

The woman smirked. "Yeah, just seeing if Summer Gale's listed. Considering the list of people who probably had her on their 'to do in' lists after her hatchet job on Kimmie Saturday night, I'm surprised she isn't here. The real bitch is, she ended up getting national exposure because of it."

Drakken sipped his cocoa before commenting, "Bad publicity, though, surely?"

Shego snorted. "'Any publicity is good publicity', Doctor D! Someone will like her style, or she'll get mileage out of being repentant or something, you'll see."

"Hmmm. Well, we'll see, she may just get the comeuppance she deserves. On another topic, I hired a secretary. She's a Global Justice agent undercover, of course, but she's probably an excellent secretary as well. And the temporary offices are ready. Wonder if I should bother with a bug sweep?" He studied his computer screen for a moment. "Hmmm, the Possibles have officially released a statement saying Kimberley is suffering from some form of PTSD. The network doing the news special about last year's incident has in turn announced that they will wait as long as possible before interviewing her for it, and will 'of course' forgo the interview altogether if she or her doctor deems it wise." He changed to another of the sites on his 'favorites' list. "And Ronald has posted a new story, 'Stop Team Go'." He looked at Shego. "That was rather interesting, the way you let him write about your familial situation, knowing how some of our community might take it?"

Shego rolled her eyes. "As if you didn't know that I encouraged him to do it! Better it come out that way, then many other ways I can think of. And it kept anyone from ever trying to blackmail me with the knowledge. At least, not more then once." That comment caused a raised eyebrow, but no response from Drakken. After taking a swallow and savoring her coffee a moment, Shego switched topics. "Now, about Eddie. When he gets here....what?" Seeing Drakken looking past her right shoulder, Shego winced, then looked for herself. And there sat a heavily customized motorcycle, parked in the far corner. "Okay, I know I was distracted this morning, but..." She turned back to Drakken, "When did he arrive? I'd have known if he came in last night."

"He arrived before you came home from wherever you were yesterday evening, Shego. I'm very surprised you didn't see the bike last night! Were you that tired, or also distracted then?" There was a touch of concern in his voice.

Shego didn't immediately speak, closing her eyes briefly. When she did speak, it wasn't a response. "Made any progress at all on this stuff that's blocking my powers?"

Drakken hesitated, then shook his head, "No, but while examining you, I found something very curious. Wasn't going to say anything until I know what I'm talking about, but you deserve to know. I don't think it's dangerous to you, but you'll have to wait a few days for an explanation, I'm sure I'll have an answer then."

Shego frowned. "Something 'curious'? Doc, sometimes what you find curious others find alarming, to say the least! But I trust you, which is something few people get from me, as you're fully aware!" She sighed, "I mean, I'm not all about the plasma, ya know? But, without it, I find myself getting nervous, and you know how I hate that! I mean, I _need _some kind of validation, or whatever! Being the self-confident bitch I usually am, this is hard to deal with."

"She-Babe!" The loud words caused Shego to jump, and come perilously close to spilling hot coffee on her chest, as Drakken winced. "Missed ya last night, was absolutely wiped out when I got here, or I'd have stayed up and greeted ya, seriously!" Motor Ed strolled past the pair, bare-chested...really bare chested, after Shego's plasma treatment. There was some blond fuzz on his head now, though, apparently his hair had waited to be sure it was safe to start sprouting again. He went to the fridge, and pulled a big jug of vegetable juice out. As Shego blinked in surprise, either at his choice of drink, or the way he upended the jug and began chug-a-lugging it down. She glanced at Drakken, but he was studiously ignoring his cousin in favor of his computer screen.

Ed put the half-empty jug back in the fridge and walked over to the pair. "So, what's up with you two? Cousin Drew's gotten elected, But he doesn't have a job for you, Babe?"

Shego blinked as a slight scowl appeared on her face. "Eddie, doesn't what I did to you kinda make this conversation a little odd?"

"What, this?" He ran his hand over his scalp, "Nah! My college girlfriend did it, too, still no clue why! But she used the razor she shaved her legs with." Drakken flinched, and even Shego winced. _"I have been exceeded in villainy..."_ while Ed continued, "Anyway, it'll grow back. But, hey, Babe, have you seen yourself on the 'Net the last two days?" Shego's eyes narrowed dangerously, "I mean, there's a video of you meeting up with that broad who lost out to you in the contest, and you finding the other three runners-up there, too? _That_ was one major catfight, and someone got it all with their camera!" Now Shego looked startled, as Ed fished in the pocket of his jeans for something, and pulled out a piece of paper, which he held out to her. "These are the best addresses to see it! Man, it'll be another week until they put that old roadhouse back together after what you did!"

Shego found herself taking the paper automatically while blushing slightly under Drakken's curious stare. "Yeah, well...look, I got to get showered and dressed, things to do." She got up and took her cup to the dishwasher, then headed for her room. Behind her Drakken remarked to Ed, "Actually, was thinking of recommending to my new Chief of Police she take Shego on as head of Internal Affairs." That caused the woman to stumble as she started up the short flight of stairs leading towards the corridor that contained only her quarters. She shot a glare at a smirking Drakken before leaving their sight.

But after a few steps, she turned back, a retort in her mind. But she stopped when she heard Ed's voice. "No Green Magic?! That is so totally bogus!! Tell me who did it, and I'll wring his neck, after I break every bone in his body! I mean, Seriously! The Green Babe needs her mojo, if there's anything at all I can do to help get it back, Cuz, you tell me, and it's done!" Shego didn't hear Drakken's reply. She stood there briefly stunned, then turned and headed for her room.

She looked up the video on her computer and watched it. Three times. When she stepped into the shower afterwards, it was with a very self-satisfied smile on her face.

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Thursday Afternoon, the MHS cafeteria:

"Possible, if you try and apologize ONE MORE TIME about your behavior on Monday, I'm going to revert to 'Old Bonnie', I swear!" Three of the other four faces at the table, Ron, Monique, and Tara, responded with eye-rolling, while Kim blushed. "For the last time, the only person who needs to apologize is that Wicked Witch of the Airwaves, and that's as likely as Brick graduating _Magnum cum Laude _from college!"

Kim looked considerably chastened. "Sorry, but my behavior would have weirded _me_ out! Not a word all day, after 'present' in home room! And holding one of Ron's hands all through lunch like it was a lifeline!"

"Didn't stop the boy from showing off his mad one-handed eating skills!" Monique quipped, "He didn't miss a bite!"

"He also wore some of lunch for the rest of the day." Kim responded peevishly.

"No Big, KP!" Ron replied, "Not the first time after all, remember that food fight in Middle School, where the teachers made us all sit through class like we were?"

Kim gave him a mild glare. "_I_ remember being the innocent bystander, and having to wash spaghetti sauce out of my hair that evening, _before_ I could sit down to dinner at home! And speaking of 'one-handed eating skills' I can't wait to stop wearing this thing!" Referring of course to her sling.

"How much longer do you need to wear it, Kim?" Tara asked solicitously. Since she wasn't in on the 'Ninja Nurses' secret, Kim had to respond carefully. "Ten days to two weeks, Mom says, just to be sure." Which was truthfully how long Anne Possible had recommended, to keep up appearances only.

"I wish there was a machine that could do it." Ron commented absently, drawing four curious stares. Noticing, he grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, off topic, was thinking of Kim's suppressed memories! Just wishing there was a machine that could bring them out!" His eyes lost focus, and Kim's eyes rolled.

"I sense a story coming on!" Then she scowled, looking at her boyfriend suspiciously. "Ron, you aren't going to do an amnesia story, are you" Monique covered her mouth while Bonnie grimaced.

"Huh? Well, maybe, KP, I'll have to think about it! Otherwise it goes in the graveyard!" That response drew curious looks again, and Kim offered the explanation, "It's where his rejected ideas go, he can't bring himself to delete them." She noticed Tara nodding in apparent understanding. "Tara?"

"Yes? Oh, I do the same with some of my diary entries that I'm not sure I want anyone ever seeing." That left the other three girls blinking as Ron remained lost in his own world. Then Bonnie changed the subject. "I see our new Mayor-Elect has chosen an interesting candidate for Chief of Police."

"Yeah, and a woman no less." Monique observed, "Sixteen years in the Army, then one term as Sheriff in her old home county. Wonder why only one term?"

"According to Wade's information, she agreed not to run for re-election before she was offered the job. They wanted her to clean up the mess the department was in, but they didn't want her as a permanent officeholder." Kim replied. "Apparently, some of her lifestyle choices could only be overlooked for so long. But like you said, sixteen years in the Military Police and Civil Affairs units in the Army, she ought to be able to handle the job here."

There followed a brief period solely devoted to eating and thinking, before Monique broke the silence. "Say, Kim, you and Ron have started sharing dreams again, what are they like this time?" Kim had confided that fact to Monique on Tuesday.

"Sharing dreams? Really? That's so cool, and kinda romantic!" Tara declared, but quietly. Kim had winced at the question, and now smiled sadly. "I wish it were, I really do, but Doctor Cardien thinks I'm hiding from my own dreams in Ron's, since all the shared ones since that mission have been his 'choice'."

"Old movies again?" Bonnie asked.

"I wish!" Kim snapped, then looked at Ron apologetically, "Sorry Ron, not blaming you for your dreams, it's just...why sports films, spaghetti westerns, and fantasies, all of a sudden?"

"Oh! Well, Mister Barkin was wondering if I was going to try any other sports, now that football's done. Not sure what he's hinting at, but he brought it up, so..."

"What Sports?" Tara asked.

"What fantasies?!" Monique asked a trifle more urgently. And then muttered something under her breath as the bell rang. "NO! First the 'Jane' question, that you refuse to answer.." She glared accusingly at Kim, " And now this!" She got up as the others did, and headed to deposit her tray for the dishwasher.

Kim grinned and shook her head as she walked. "Not THAT kind, Mon! Think real 'fantasy'. As in a gladiator in a fantasy world." Then she grimaced, "And Spaghetti westerns. Ron as Eastwood? Well, the less said the better. But Drakken in the Lee Van Cleef role? _Not _to be believed!" That drew a snort of amusement from Monique and Bonnie, a puzzled look from Tara(Who simply had never seen any of those films), and a mildly offended scowl from Ron, who couldn't hold it long.

As they exited the cafeteria, Monique put her out hand to stop Kim, a thoughtful expression on her face. She let the others move away before she whispered, "Kim, if you're sharing dreams, then the link is still there, right? Remember the idea that if the link was stable, how useful it might be? Well, what if it _is_ stable? And you're forcing the connection subconsciously to do what your doctor said, to 'hide' in Ron's dreams?"

Kim hesitated, then nodded. "I thought of that, actually. And I really don't know if it's true, or what to do about it if it is, or how to test it...I just don't know, Mon!"

"Well, why not try it now? Try concentrating really hard, close your eyes, and see if you can see through Ron's eyes!" Monique urged her.

Kim smirked. "Bad idea for two reasons, Mon. One, we need to get to class. Two, Ron just went in the boy's room." Then she grew serious again. "And lastly, really don't want to just yet. Coming over after school, to watch me work up a sweat?" She started walking as she finished.

"Sure! Not like my social life would interfere! Oh, get this. Me and Bonnie actually tried to plot something fiendish to do to Summer Gale on Sunday. She was supposed to be the idea person, and me the implementer, or something like that. Anyway, twenty minutes in, one of us said: 'That's something I'd like to do to my ex-boyfriend!', and the reply was: 'Don't get me started about boyfriends!'. Two hours later, we'd discussed everything under the sun, before we remembered why we got together in the first place! So, there went our attempt to plot against the dyed-blond witch!"

"Just as well, Monique, right now I'd just like to not be reminded of Saturday night!" She smiled faintly, "Though it did get me a pass on 'Family Game Night' this month, so one good thing came of it!"

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At about the same time, Drakken was conducting an interview with another prospective employee, in his temporary offices in downtown Middleton. One he was becoming mildly frustrated with. But, that was actually an improvement on his expectations for the interview, he had half expected a murderous rage by now.

"You mean you want _me_ to be your budget director!" Frugal Lucre almost shouted loud enough to be heard in the outer office. The look of astonished glee on his face made Drakken wince. Of course he wasn't going to let it last.

"No, I want you to be my budget _advisor_! You won't have any decision-making responsibilities, or authority! I just want you to go over the budgets on all city projects, and let me know if the charges are excessive in any cases, and just how badly inflated the prices are. I know the way this works, a little graft is to be expected, but it's not going overboard while I'm running things!" The intercom buzzed as he finished, and he let Lerman mull things over while he answered it. "Yes, Mrs Notting?"

"Miss Summer Gale would like to interview you by phone, Mister Lipsky." Came the somewhat nasal reply. Mrs Helen Notting was a trim and fit woman in her mid fifties, according to her application. Drakken suspected she had added ten or so years, and took pains to look 'her' age. Right now, though, his GJ-provided secretary didn't bother Drakken at all, but her announcement was puzzling him immensely. "Summer Gale? Requesting an interview? On who's behalf?"

"Well, I suppose you know about _The Imposer,_ the scandal rag? Well, they've expanded their tabloid services to the Internet, and hired Miss Gale as a reporter."

"I see. Just a moment." Drakken brought up his phone menu and studied it for a moment. After a moment he smiled and made a few selections. "Put her through, Mrs Notting." He only had to wait a moment. "Miss Gale?...ah, of course, Summer. I'm afraid I'll have to put you on hold for a couple of minutes, I have someone here I'm interviewing. I'll be right back, I assure you!" He put the call on hold and turned back to Lucre. "Well, Francis? Are you interested?" Drakken kept one eye on the light indicating that Summer was still on the line. As Lucre hemmed and hawed before answering, the light flickered out. "Fifteen seconds, not very long at all!" Drakken commented.

Frugal Lucre looked at him curiously. "Huh?"

"Hmmm? Oh, nothing, just Miss Gale decided not to wait. Or maybe she didn't like listening to 'Frosty the Snowman'. Now, do you want the job or not?"

"Welllll...does it come with a car, or do I need to take public transportation?"

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The following week, Mister Grimm and Mister Dyer paid a visit to the Stoppables to discuss with Jean how much influence she could exert over Doctor Drakken. Though suspicious of the two, Jean welcomed them politely enough. Mister Grimm even bounced Hana on his knee, and seemed to genuinely enjoy the baby's presence. Until his voice took on a menacing tone in the discussion.

Fortunately, Mister Dyer insisted on driving his boss to the emergency room, and refused any offer on Mrs Stoppable's part to pay for any medical bills pertaining to Mister Grimm's dislocated kneecap. Possibly to avoid making any official report as to how it became dislocated. Jean Stoppable was left with the dilemma of trying to find a way to break Hana's habit of inflicting injury on visitors.

Three days later, the FBI noted that Mister Grimm had apparently moved back to the East Coast, after an apparently frustrating four years in Colorado. Mister Dyer soon followed.

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Late Saturday evening, Shego returned to the lair after a frustrating trip of her own. Seeking Drakken, she found him in a chamber containing a large medical scanner similar to a CAT scan chamber, but capable of quite a bit more. The scientist was studying readouts at the control console, and had a blue tooth-style phone in his ear. Before Shego could ask who was in the scanner, she noticed Bernadette Barr standing at the far end of the machine, and a suspicion formed in her mind.

As she walked around to confirm it, Bernie greeted her. "Hey, Shego." This was followed by the confirmation Shego needed, a startled 'Eep!' from inside the machine. "Possible? What the hell..." she broke off as she noticed clothing, obviously Kim's, piled on a swivel chair, and her eyes widened "Okay, I think we're taking this truce thing a bit too far." She turned to call to Drakken, "Hey, Doctor D! Asking an underaged girl to take her clothes off in your lair can ruin your political career, ya know."

Drakken made a face. "Very funny, Shego..." He then spoke into the phone, "No, Walter, it's just my associate making a joke." He turned again to Shego, "Welcome home. And Miss Barr is here as chaperon...yes, Walter? I agree, fascinating!"

Shego turned to Bernie. "Who's Walter?"

Bernie shrugged. "Old mentor of his, or so he says. At Harvard now, but I think Doctor Drakken said something about him being on a work-release from a mental institution, or something? And working for the Government, which really sounds odd."

Shego shrugged. "Doesn't sound odd to me that there are ex-loonies working for the government, it would explain a LOT!" She bent slightly to look into the machine. "How do you like the heated bed, Kimmie?" There was a muffled shriek and a thump inside, followed by a plaintive 'ow'. "What's the matter, Princess, I've seen you naked be....what the hell did you do to your leg?" The front of Kim's left thigh from knee to hip was one big bruise.

Two responses, Kim's "It was an accident!", And Bernie's "She went on a mission.", came simultaneously.

"She WHAT?" Shego blurted out, "Possible, are you crazy? Well, I guess you must be, being here like this, but going on a mission?"

"She's here to help you, Shego!" Bernie snapped, and Shego actually flinched guiltily, since she'd already figured that out. "Doctor Drakken asked her to let him examine that stuff in her shoulder, and she agreed. Her mother would have been here instead of me, but she couldn't re-schedule a surgery."

"And I'll want you in there as soon as Kimberley comes out, Shego." Drakken called over, "And I have to agree, Kimberley, a mission at this time? Most unwise." He frowned to himself as he again considered the opportunity he was passing up, with his nemesis out of action. "What was the nature of this mission, if I may ask, and how were you injured?"

Kim sighed, and her voice echoed slightly from inside the machine, " t was just a meeting, someone who would only trust me, and GJ backed us up. There was a lot of 'cool' stuff at the meeting place, and Ron got distracted, despite being in 'super-protective' mode. To keep this short, a sudden noise startled him, a threatening kind of noise, and he pushed me out of 'harm's way', or so he thought. But he pushed me off the platform we were on, and I got bruised a little, okay? And now he's all guilty, and I don't want to talk about it anymore, okay?" She finished in a heated and petulant rush.

"Please calm down, Kimberley, I didn't mean to upset you." Drakken said, loudly, placatingly, so the girl could hear him inside the machine. "Nor did I intend to criticize...oh, bother! Let's change the subject! Shego, did you have a nice trip?"

Shego began unbuttoning her blouse. "Not really, Doc, though I confirmed a suspicion of mine, as to how the 'stuff' got into me."

"Not at the party?" Bernie inquired. She was only half-listening, more concerned with Kim's behavior.

Shego shook her head. "Nah! Activated, maybe, but not put in. Considering how they had to do it with Pumpkin, here, it's not that easy. No, It happened in Greece, on my last trip to the spa there back in August. Midas...my favorite masseur," She explained to Bernie, "Wasn't available, but they had a new masseuse specializing in _shiatsu_, and I hadn't had that in a while, so I took it. I was her last client for the day, which was her excuse for letting me sleep after I 'nodded off' during the massage. I was out nearly two hours."

"Sounds like enough time to me." Kim commented from inside the machine. Then she asked, "Anything more then that to make her a suspect, though?"

"Well, Princess, she stared work two weeks before I showed up there, and quit the day after Halloween. And all of her credentials and ID were fake, that sounds conclusive to you?"

"Works for me." Kim paused, then, "Shego, are you taking your clothes off?"

"Nope!" Shego replied with a smirk, pausing just a moment for effect,"They're already off!" Privacy was not an issue, the machine Kim occupied was big enough for the entire cheer squad to hide behind, and Drakken was out of Shego's sight. Shego had to suppress a laugh as she heard Kim sputtering inside the machine. "Come on, Kimmie, it's just us girls, and Doctor D."

"I, however, will keep my clothes on." Bernie deadpanned.

"Too bad, you got a pretty nice rack there, BB." Shego quipped. Bernie just rolled her eyes, but someone else had a different reaction.

"Bebe! Where?" Drakken exclaimed. Shego smacked her forehead. "Not Bebe, Doc, B...never mind!"

"When did Shego see your...um, chest, Bernie?" Kim asked curiously, causing her former babysitter to blush in the manner Shego had been trying for with her comment. Before an answer could be supplied though, Doctor Drakken spoke up again. "You're done, Kimberly. Shego, your turn."

As the bed with Kim on it slid out of the machine, and the girl tried to decide whether to cover herself or not, Shego asked Drakken, "Never thought to ask , Doc, but why naked this time?" She laid down on the bed as soon as Kim was off it. "OOo, nice and extra warm!" She squealed girlishly, and snorted at how much of Kim turned red.

Ignoring the interplay, Drakken replied to Shego's question. "Because what I'm looking for is so small,and hard to detect, that anything can interfere, including any clothes you might wear." He broke off a moment, muttering quietly into the phone, then aloud, "All right, Walter, Thanks for your consultation, hope to speak with you soon. Bye!" He turned back to look towards them, though only Bernie was partially visible. "Well, there's some good news, and of course, some bad news."

"Spin it any way you want, Doctor D." Shego's voice echoed slightly. Drakken initiated the scanning process again as he spoke. "Bad news, can't find a way to get the material out of your system. Good news, it's deteriorating on it's own, we'll try and determine how fast with this scan. Also good, there's no sign that either the material placed in Kim, or what's in you, Shego, involves any re-writing of DNA. Both examples are independent of your bio-systems. They had to have been transferred directly from the medium in which they were cultured into your bodies, so no putting it in a glass of water, or a soda, or any other means of 'infecting' you. It then adapted to your DNA, but didn't integrate with your systems enough to be self-sustaining."

Kim was nearly dressed already. "So, obviously whoever used that stuff on you had to take advantage while it was in effect?" She shrugged, "Not that it makes you that much easier to deal with." She added sincerely.

"Thanks, Princess. But that's not the problem, the problem is, it's still out there, in someone's hands, there may be a lot more of it for others to use!" Shego's frustration was clear in her voice.

"Well, maybe Doctor Drakken can make an antidote, or something you can host in your system, that would neutralize them." Bernie suggested.

"Actually, there's a possibility that her own immune system might adapt to the task of getting rid of them, if Walter's ideas are correct." Drakken observed, not taking his eyes off the console screens. "Nine percent decrease, Shego, since your first exam when we knew what to look for. At this rate, you should be nearly free of the threat by Christmas. As to the other...all in your head." His voice trailed away on the last bit.

"What other?" Three voices asked at once. Drakken was startled, and looked briefly guilty. "Oh, that's a private matter, for Shego's ears only, sorry." He did try and sound apologetic about it. "You're done, Shego, powering the scanner down now."

"Well, at least it was quick!" Shego groused as she slid out of the machine. She yawned widely as she picked up her clothes. "And now the jet lag hits! But I want to hear what Doctor D has to tell me before I try and get some sleep, so not to be rude, but you two ought to head out." She hesitated a moment, "By the way, Possible, Thanks for helping out. Considering how you must feel about me and my plasma..."

Kim smiled faintly. "It's No Big, Shego, and it's for the same reason Mom wanted you to have that recording. It's more a question of rights, then my own feelings." She fastened her coat up, suddenly feeling awkward. "Not sure how I feel, to be honest. I'll probably have that nightmare again..." She started and looked at Shego, "I mean...well, would it surprise you to know you've starred in a few nightmares of mine?"

Shego smirked. "Surprise me? I'd be insulted if you didn't lose some sleep over me!" Though inwardly she was surprised the thought had never occurred to her before. And oddly, she wasn't too sure how she felt about it. Nightmares bothered her, too, and being the subject of someone else's, anyone else's? Did she want that?

Kim grinned in response. "Not _that _much sleep, Shego!" She looked at Drakken. "Goodbye, Doctor Drakken. Next time we meet, I may have to call you Mister Mayor."

"His Honor, the Mayor, Drew Lipsky." Shego remarked, "I honestly still don't know how to take that."

"Oh, that reminds me, Shego! Mother will be staying with us for the days before and after my swearing in." Both Kim and Bernie winced and looked at the thief, waiting for her reaction.

After a thoughtful moment, Shego spoke in a normal voice. "Well, we'll just sic her on Eddie. One look at his room, and she'll be occupied for a week."

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Kind of a weak ending. Afraid of losing momentum right now. I know where I'm going, it's just making the path entertaining that's bugging me. I know better then to promise a specific length to my stories. Last time I promised to deliver the final chapter in one, it came three chapters later. Oh, well.

For now, Please Read and Review.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

By Thanksgiving Kim was back to 'normal', at least superficially. Her therapist had been a big help, and a long talk with Nana Possible had helped as well. Drakken spent the holiday at his Mother's, Shego having turned down an invitation to join them. Again. She spent the holiday at the orphanage, though in disguise.

The day before Drakken took office was cold and rainy. Shego hunted for a parking place as close as possible to the little rendezvous she'd been invited to. It was at an old restaurant in Old Town Middleton. Opened by the same family thirty years before, it no longer drew full houses very often, but did a decent business. But the small parking lot adjacent to it was full, though only a few of those parked there were probably patrons of the restaurant. Shego practically growled with frustration as she hunted for a spot.

Then she spotted someone waving at her, and pointing, and sure enough, a car was just pulling out, practically at the front door. Shego surged forward and practically shoved the other vehicle from the space, so closely did she slide her car in as the other pulled out. She plopped a fedora-style rain hat on her head and got out. She spotted the person who had waved to her, and now recognized her as Bernie. "Hey! Thanks for the tip!" The other woman shrugged as she headed for the restaurant. "I'm stuck at the end of the block, glad somebody got lucky! Think Kim and Ron are already here."

The pair stepped inside, and did find the two teens already seated, with food in front of them. Kim was picking at hers, but probably only to be polite to the later comers. Ron, however, was at least halfway through the food on his platter, and a pretty young female server was taking away a used soup bowl. Kim smiled when she saw Bernie and Shego approaching, hanging up their wet rain gear before sitting down opposite the couple.

"Be too clichéd to comment on Stoppable not waiting, so I won't." Shego commented as she took a menu from the server. She started to take a casual look and then order coffee, but then stopped and read. Her stomach grumbled, and she looked mildly embarrassed. Collecting herself, she ordered "I'll take a cup of the beef and barley soup, then the smothered chop, with mash potatoes and succotash, please." She noticed Kim regarding her with mild curiosity. "Been a while since I ate in a place like this, Princess." she explained, "Or had this kind of cooking."

Kim nodded. "Same here, though I've been here at least three times before." She glanced at her boyfriend, "First time for Ron, though, might be a life-changing experience!" she added with a grin. Ron rolled his eyes, but couldn't quite get his mouth empty enough to comment, despite rigorous chewing.

"We'll talk business after our food arrives, guys." Bernie suggested after placing her order. The others nodded assent. "So, anything _else_ to talk about?"

"How are things at the lair, with Mama Lipsky?" Kim asked Shego. The thief rolled her eyes. "So, far, not bad, but she was pretty lagged out when she arrived. Bingo Marathon the night before, really took it out of her. Not enough out of her, but some. She's disappointed there won't be a big parade, outdoor ceremony, yadda, yadda, yadda." She looked across at Kim. "And how was your night?"

Kim shrugged. "Had an interesting dream, but otherwise, No Big." The server returned with Shego's soup and two large glasses of iced tea. Shego crumbled the accompanying crackers into her soup as the server asked Kim and Ron if they wanted refills on their sodas. Both accepted. Kim then watched askance as Shego poured four packets of sugar into her tea.

"What was the dream about, Kim? And was it just yours, or shared?" Bernie asked as she dumped a single packet of sweetener in her own drink. Kim responded with a faint smile. "Shared." She became serious again. "I think it was based on how this sitch started, actually. The laws allowing a wanted criminal to run for Mayor, I mean. It was in Middleton, but back in the frontier days. And it was Doctor Drakken and Shego coming in to fill the Mayor's post, and the Town Marshal!"

Shego snorted. "You don't know how close...never mind, go on, who were you in this dream?" A faint pink flush appeared on both teens' faces. "Ah, ha! husband and wife?" The blushes both deepened. "Finally, a naughty dream!"

Kim bridled. "So not!" she snapped, then realized her volume was a bit high, and lowered her voice. "Actually, it had about as much 'naughty' content in it as a movie from the fifties!" She stopped to regain her composure a moment before continuing, "Mind you, it was partially because you wore him out..." She flushed again when she saw Shego's eyes widen, and the smirk on her face grow, "Not like that! Gah! He was your deputy!" The smirk vanished, Shego's jaw dropping momentarily. Bernie hid a grin by sipping her tea.

"Oh that's rich!" Shego finally got out. Surprisingly, Ron didn't seem offended, merely amused. "So, who played the villains? Someone try and rob the bank, or something?"

"Actually, no." Kim replied, "At least not before the dream ended. A drunk who looked suspiciously like Ed Lipsky did cause you some problems, though. And your brothers showed up! They were a posse, with Hego as a US Marshal."

Shego winced, but did seem amused. "On a big white horse, no doubt?" She rolled her eyes when Kim nodded. "Figures!"

The dream discussion was postponed when the food arrived. Everyone dug in in earnest for a few minutes, with Ron polishing off the last of his food. He promptly looked around for the server, and Kim elbowed him in the ribs. "We'll all order desert together, Ron!"

"Okay, let's get down to business." Shego wiped her chin clean of gravy. "Damn, this is good! Too used to my own cooking, or gourmet stuff! Anyway, let's start with you, Bernie."

Bernie set down her silverware and steepled her fingers. "Well, according to Frank, he first contacted those Ninjas at the beginning of August. They set up an exclusive means for him to contact them, which disappeared as soon as the job was done. When he gave them the nanotech that Herman Bortell made, they offered him something 'superior', for a little extra payment. But he passed on it. So, it seems these Ninjas may have been referring to this biotech that was used on the two of you, or a different variant of it. They may be the developers of it, or just connected to whoever makes it."

"When was the first job on me 'done', exactly?" Kim asked.

"According to Frank, August 26th, or thereabouts." Bernie replied, as she resumed eating.

"So, that was when your brothers' little laser trap almost set the neighbors' house on fire?" Shego asked. When both teens winced and exchanged nervous looks, suspicion blossomed in her eyes.

Even Bernie was curious, this time. "Okay, spill it!"

After another exchange of looks, ROn protested feebly "We're supposed to be here to discuss that biotechy stuff, not-anything else!"

Bernie nodded. "You're right!" She then turned to Shego, "You know, I had a pet name for Ron when I babysat him..."

"N-No Fair!" Ron stammered out, "Listen, it had to do with WWEE, and we had to promise to keep it all a secret!"

Kim nodded in agreement. "We really did, it was some silly idea of Gemini's to take advantage of me being out of town for the weekend, and things apparently got a little crazy." She shrugged, "Or so I was told! ANyway, we really can't discuss it."

"And the neighbor's house was paid for, so it's all good!" Ron chimed in.

Now it was BErnie and Shego exchanging glances, then shrugs. "Well, if you can't, you can't." Bernie said reasonably.

Looking distinctly unsatisfied Shego returned to the main topic, "So, Princess on the 26th, me on the 25th, not that that's significant. Did you two hear anything from GJ about when Gemini started planning to come after us? Not sure I believe it all started with a random plasma blast over the Atlantic!"

"I want to make it clear I don't like spying on our friends, for any reason, Shego." Kim stated quietly, "But, we heard some gossip. Gemini actually began getting the idea of bringing all the independent supervillains under WWEE control, or eliminating them, almost a year ago. But when he actually started implementing his plan? We heard nothing about that. But we did hear that Alpha has resurfaced in a hospital in Sydney, minus his memory, apparently. Or, some of his memory. He still retains enough memories to be competent to stand trial, but he's missing any memory of where he's been since he was abducted from GJ custody."

Shego ate for a moment in silence, hiding her frustration. Then she looked at Ron, "And your friends in Japan aren't going to be helpful, right?"

Ron shook his head. "Nope, not without a _very_ good reason. Like these other Ninjas attacking them, for instance."

"Besides, Shego, is it worth the possible trouble to track these people down?" Bernie asked, "If the stuff is wearing off, or rather dying off, it might be better to let sleeping dogs lie."

Shego nodded reluctantly. "It might, it really might. But, I can't help worrying that they could use it again on someone's behalf. On me, or maybe my brothers. If it can negate my powers, it might do the same to them. But then again, they seem to have a lot of things they can do with it, very versatile stuff!" She regarded Kim for a moment, then shook her head. "For the moment, I may drop it, and not just because my powers are still nullified. These probably _are_ nasty people to deal with, and picking fights for any reason is something I'm being more careful about these days." She sighed, then pushed her empty plate away, the last finished.

"I'd still like to know who hired them to fix my shoulder, though." Kim remarked quietly, "I've been thinking of Junior again, maybe his father funded biotech research? Oh, they've finally released a report on the hot-air balloon incident. It was really delayed because it took so long to find the envelope and the burner. Anyway, no signs of sabotage, it was just Junior, being too rough on the valve."

Their server came over and offered them desert as she cleared the table, and all four accepted. Kim and Bernie each chose a slice of apple pie _a la mode_, Shego went for a double helping of cherry pie, and Ron a double-size brownie covered in vanilla ice cream. With three toppings on it. Kim just smiled gently and shook her head. "Our kids will be born with a sugar high, you know that, don't you?"

Ron smiled his goofiest grin at her. "Anything wrong with that?"

Kim gazed heavenwards for a moment, then gave him a warning look. "Just remember who'll have to carry the bouncing sugar freaks inside her, Potential Boy!"

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Amy Hall, better known as DNAmy, made her way down the entrance corridor in Drakken's lair, a thick sheaf of papers in her hand. She was humming to herself as she leafed through them, checking for the fifth time to make sure she had them all. Then she stopped as she saw Motor Ed walking towards her, carrying three large bags of trash in his hands. "Why, um, Edward, how have you been?" she greeted him cautiously.

Ed stopped and regarded the geneticist warily. "What's the deal? Why are you roaming around here?" He actually seemed to be trying to hide the trash behind his back.

"Oh! I was just bringing Drewkins my proposals for some changes in the pet laws for Middleton!" She held up the sheaf of papers to show him. "Here they are!"

Ed looked at the papers apprehensively. "That's a lot of 'proposals' there, Doc."

Amy nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes, there are many changes that need to be made! Definition of a 'dangerous' pet, leash laws, qualifying some of my darlings as 'endangered' species, liability if some mean little neighborhood child gets ea—I mean, _frightened _by one of my babies! I mean, it should be the parents' fault entirely, for not supervising their children, shouldn't it?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, Doc, you take those in to Cousin Drew, see what he says! I have to take out this trash, and go back for the next load! My Aunt, Drew's Mom, is making me clean out my room, but don't you tell anyone, you hear?"

Amy's eyes widened, and she fidgeted uncertainly. "Drewkins' mother, oh dear! Maybe I shouldn't bother him! Bad enough I have to risk meeting that horrible Shego by coming here!"

"Oh, She-Babe's not here, she's gone to town for something, think it has to do with getting her powers back!" Ed paused, then winced. "I think I was supposed to keep that a secret!"

"No powers?" Amy murmured, then looked at Ed, who wore a worried expression, "Oh, don't worry, mum's the word!" she assured him. Ed regarded her skeptically, as she trotted past him, humming again, and studying her papers again. "Should have kept my mouth shut about She-Babe, she'll kill me if that news gets around!" He mutttered.

Amy entered the main lair chamber, and immediately spotted Mama Lipsky. And vice versa. "Oh, Hello!" Amy stammered. She flinched slightly at the searching stare she received, before Emma Lipsky chose to reply. "And Hello to you. And who might you be? Are you a friend of my son's?"

"Oh, yes, we're quite good friends, we've even collaborated on some things!" Amy replied cheerfully.

"Oh?" There was so much curiousity in that single word, Amy almost wanted to retract her statement. "And what exactly do you do, Miss...?"

"Oh, forgive me! Doctor Amy Hall, how do you do?"

Mrs Lipsky flapped one hand, rolling her eyes, "Oh, the things in my life! My back, worrying about Drewbie.." Amy twitched, "My nephew, such a bad egg! I had so hoped that Drewbie would have a good influence on him, but one look at that pig-sty of a room!" She stopped and bit her lip. "Sorry, too much information? We were talking about you, and whatever it is you do. A Doctor, you say?"

"Oh, I make animals, actually!" Amy replied, beaming with pride.

One of Emma's eyebrows rose. "Oh, you mean you raise them?"

Amy frowned. "No, I mean I find ways to make new kinds of animals from old ones!" She explained, patiently.

Comprehension of a sort dawned on Mama's face. "Oh, you mean you breed animals! What kind, dogs or horses?"

Amy blinked for a moment in consternation, didn't Drew's mother know anything about her son's profession? She decided to make herself clear. "No, Dear, I take the genetic code from two or more existing species and combine them into entirely new ones, just like a real, live, cuddlebuddy!" She _squeed _as she finished, and Emma's eye twitched.

"I see." Emma replied, slowly nodding her head. "Would you like some coffee or tea, Doctor Hall?"

"Oh, Amy, please, Mrs Lipsky!" Amy practically gushed. "And tea would be lovely, Thank You."

"Amy, right." Emma left Amy sorting through her proposals. Otherwise Amy might have noticed that Mrs Lipsky didn't head for the kitchen, but towards the passage to the living quarters. She met her son just leaving his room. "Drew! There's a woman here to see you. An Amy Hall?" She gave him an inquisitive look that hadn't changed since he could remember. He didn't bother hiding the pained expression that flashed onto his face. "Did she tell you what she wants, Mother?"

"No, but she's carrying a lot of papers, probably to show you." If anything, the intensity of her curiosity doubled.

Drakken winced, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The pet ordinances, should have known she wouldn't wait to discuss them until after I assume office!"

"Pet Ordinances?" Emma put an excellent mix of wonder and skepticism in those two words. Drew had always wondered how she managed that. "Drew, what this woman says about she does? Is she serious, or does she need help?"

Drakken considered that a moment. "I think both, actually." Emma nodded, leaned close, and whispered, "She seems to be a nice girl, but a little on the strange side, I personally think your prospects are better with your other friend, Shego." Drakken had to bite his tongue to avoid blurting out his first reaction, then nodded slightly and grinned weakly. "We'll talk about this another time, this visit is business, Mother."

Emma reached up and pinched his cheek. "Yes, I'm sure it is to you, son, but what about her intentions, hmmm?" She paused for a moment, then patted his shoulder. "See to your guest, Drewbie, I'll make tea for the two of you."

Amy beamed happily when Drakken appeared. "Oh, Drewk—Drew, I'm so glad you could make the time to see me, I know you must be busy getting ready for tomorrow!"

"Er, yes, well I have to make time for old friends!" Drakken responded with feigned cheer as he gestured towards the lounge where he had entertained Kim previously, "Let's step up here, shall we?" He saw his mother roll her eyes behind Amy as she headed into the kitchen area.

Once the pair were seated, Amy placed the stack of papers on the coffee table and placed her hand on it. "There you go, my ideas for altering the pet laws, I so hope you're able to implement them soon!"

Drakken regarded her warily for a moment. Then he gave her a smile as he replied, "Well, you know, don't you, that I can't pass any ordinances without the City Council's approval."

Amy gave him an odd look, before smiling. "Oh, but you have such great _influence_ with them, don't you? I'm sure they'll approve _anything_ you say, won't they?"

Drakken sat there blinking in some confusion for a moment, before suspicion dawned. "By 'influence', do you mean you think I..." He was interrupted by his Mother entering with the tea.

"Here we go, you two, all ready!" Mrs Lipsky set the tray down on the coffee table as Amy hurriedly shifted her papers out of the way. "Now, I'm going to see how Eddie's doing, you two discuss your business, okay?"

"Yes, and Thank You, Mother." Despite his displeasure at Amy's implications, Drakken didn't pause before taking a cookie from the tray and munching on it. It actually hurt to think that his fellow villains probably believed he'd cheated. When the incongruity of _that _thought hit him, he had to shake his head. _"Practicing to deceive may weave a tangled web, But I've managed to do the same by playing staright!"_

"Thank You, Mrs Lipsky, you keep a close eye on that Edward, now!" Amy called out cheerfully to the departing woman.

Waiting until his mother was out of earshot, Drakken addressed the pudgy geneticist sternly. "Amy, if you believe I won this election by trickery, or am using some kind of mind control on anyone, you're mistaken! I am playing this as straight as I possibly can! As far being the Mayor, I'll be doing as honest a job as you can expect from a politician...err. maybe I'd better rephrase that!"

Amy stared at him for a minute as if he had grown a second head. Then she sighed. "You're serious, aren't you?" Drakken nodded solemnly. She looked at her stack of proposals dubiously. "Well, I _could_ change the leash laws..." she remarked thoughtfully. Drakken winced, and resisted the temptation to bury his face in his hands.

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"So anyway, Doctor D basically read Ron's early stories about him, looked in the mirror, figuratively speaking, and asked 'Is that me?'" Shego paused a moment for effect, "Decided it was, and headed to see a shrink. But, just long enough to learn the terminology for his problem. Then he bought the textbooks, etcetera, and began reading up on it himself! Eventually studied texts covering everything back to his childhood. And I suspect Stoppable spotted the shelf full of those books, and got the idea about Drakken 'analyzing' Kim, for 'So the Drama'."

Ron just grinned slightly and shrugged, all the confirmation Shego needed, at least. They were in the living room of Bernie's residence, the guest house on the Barr Estate. They had headed there from the restaurant when Kim had expressed reluctance to have the evening end. Shego had only chosen to accompany them because of a cellphone call from Motor Ed, warning her that Amy was at the lair. There was no way Shego was facing both Emma Lipsky and DNAmy together without the plasma option. Not to use on either woman, but it always made for better venting, one quick blast at some innocent target working better then thirty minutes work on the heavy bag. Now she was wondering what was bothering Kim, since the girl had been staring at her and fidgeting for the past five minutes. But Shego wasn't in the mood to make it easy for the teen, she'd been way too nice to her already today.

Bernie sipped from a cup of hot tea, then spoke up. "So, just how smart is Doctor Drakken, really?"

Before Shego could speak, Kim spoke up, "Dad says he may have been the smartest guy in their class, but his focus was kind of screwed up. He once heard about a future exam, and turned a paper in for it two weeks early. But while writing that, he forgot his current assignment completely!" Then she looked at Shego, and appeared to choke a moment, before blurting out, "Shego, my Mom's a brain surgeon!" Then she turned red, and redder still when the other three all stared at her.

"I know that, Princess.." Shego bgean hesitantly, "What does that have to do with anything?" Then her eyes widened. _"She heard Doctor D say it 'was all in my head', and she thinks...hell, why does she have to be so...grrr." _"Oh...No, Kimmie, the problem I have upstairs can't be solved with surgery, but it's not dangerous to my health, either!" Her voice did not betray her thoughts.

Now Bernie was nodding, Ron was confused, and Kim was regarding Shego with a hint of mistrust. "Really?" she asked dubiously. Shego exhaled sharply enough to make her bangs stand on end, then reached up automatically to smooth them back down. "Yes, really! And it's a private matter, okay?"

Kim nodded reluctantly. Bernie was whispering in Ron's ear, where they both sat on the couch. Shego had wondered why Kim had taken the chair rather then sit next to her boyfriend. In the restaurant, they had been very close, making contact frequently. Now, she wanted some space, and Shego was puzzled. They'd ridden over with Bernie, so maybe something had happened on the way. Now, as enlightenment as to the subject matter came to Ron, Shego decided to head off one potential problem at the pass. "Stoppable, _no _stories about me having _anything_ wrong with my head, clear?"

Ron seemed nonplussed, but then grinned. "Nah, then you'd be a sympathetic character, and why would I do that?" Shego gave him a glare, but then looked at Kim. "Princess, again I have to remind you all this good feelings and stuff might not last, I may go back to being your enemy some day, can you handle that?"

Kim stared at her a moment, then sighed. "Shego, right now I don't know what I can 'handle'!" She growled in frustration, then looked over at Ron, before standing up and walking over to the couch, plopping herself down between the others and leaning into Ron. Then she looked at the pale thief again. "Until this lurking demon comes out where I can see him, I'm not sure of anything! I honestly don't know what to say to people when they ask how I'm doing!"

Ron wrapped an arm around her. "Well, Ron says you're going to be fine! You're Kim Possible, the most badical girlfriend...Kim?" She had suddenly tensed up, and he twisted around to get a good look at her face. "Kim?" Bernie leaned over and took hold of Kim's wrist. The girl looked straight ahead, directly at Shego, who felt uneasy despite the fact the girl was obviously not looking at her, but was seeing something invisible to the rest of them.

"Kim, what's the matter?" Bernie coaxed her gently.

The girl blinked. Then she looked around, and sighed deeply. "I just saw that demon, and she's _real_ ugly!" She snuggled closer to Ron, as Bernie looked across at Shego, and mouthed 'She?'. Shego barely nodded. _"And I bet the demon has Kimmie's face on it."_

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Shego winced thirty minutes later when she reached the lair and saw Amy's big 'pet carrier' still parked at the door. But she would be damned if she'd turn and leave at this point. She was a little unsettled after the fact with all the 'bonding' and talk tonight. And frankly, from the look in Kim's eyes, she preferred her own demons to whatever it was that haunted her.

Walking into the main chamber, she found it devoid of life. She walked up into the lounge to look for a paperback she'd been too rushed to hunt for earlier. Her gaze was drawn magnetically to three pieces of paper lying on the tabletop. As she bent to pick them up, she noticed the wastebasket was full of even more paper. Reading the first sheet, her eyes widened, and she barely stopped herself from laughing out loud. "'Specific exemptions for animals who are bipedal, and suggestions for a new definition of discriminatory prohibitions against such animals entering public places.'" She read further. "That's going to be a hard, sell, Doctor D, maybe Mind Control should be considered an option!" And then she heard Drakken's voice, faintly.

"One club." As Shego turned towards the passage the voice came from, she heard DNAmy speak. "A Diamond." Shego's eyebrows threatened to disappear into her bangs. Then came Mama Lipsky's voice. "Two hearts". Shego almost felt like sitting down, even before Motor Ed's voice joined in. "Pass."

Shego just stood there a moment. She was tempted to sneak up the passage and verify what she guessed. But as the sound of more bids being made drifted down to her, she decided instead she wasn't so tired after all, and a quick visit to one of her favorite nightspots was definitely in order.

Though as she walked back towards the entrance, she reminded herself not to get too bombed, she didn't want to face tomorrow with a hangover.

Short chapter, but it went too long to include Drakken's assumption of office, I'll have to do that in the next chapter.

As to the subject of the Ninjas: That story is going to continue, I'm just not sure where. I have three candidates for 'fixing' Kim's shoulder, but I just couldn't decide between them yet. But I don't think they'll play any further part in 'His Honor'. However, I'll listen to dissenting opinions, if anyone wants to send them to me.

Anyway, for now, Please Read and Review.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

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Shego made an extra effort with her appearance before emerging from her room on the big day. A wasted effort as it turned out, as she found Drakken sitting alone like almost every other morning. "Up all alone, Doctor D? Just how late did the bridge game go last night?" She asked archly.

"And Good Morning to you, too, Shego." Drakken replied sourly. "Mother turned in at eleven, and Amy left just afterwards!" He added with a bit of a snap in his tone, "And how was the second segment of your night out?"

Shego cocked an eyebrow at him. "Nursed one drink for nearly an hour, told two wannabe studs to back off, and took my time driving home." She replied politely. After a moment of studying him curiously, she suddenly nodded. "Cold Feet?"

"Frigid!" Drakken snapped in reply. Then he winced, and waved his hand dismissively. "Sorry, but that's it exactly, Cold Feet!" He sat back and regarded her, a sheepish smile crossing his face. "Situation Normal, I guess!" He shook his head. "It's probably because I've already got it all pretty well planned out, and the plan looks so good! Whenever that happens, I guess I get nervous..." He trailed off at the smile spreading on Shego's face, and began to frown momentarily, before his own smile came back. "Well, it's not like Middleton will blow up if the 'inevitable' happens, right?"

Shego snorted. "Doctor D, if you think I'm going to predict the outcome of _anything_ you're involved in based on the normal Laws of Probability, you've got another think coming!"

Drakken chuckled, "A wise attitude, Shego." . He sipped at his cocoa, frowned when he realized he'd let it cool off too much, then shrugged. "Did you ever wonder why I ever tried to 'Take over the World', Shego?"

She thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "No offense, Doc, but one of the reasons I signed on with you was because I thought you were kinda nuts, but a well-paying nut, never gave your motives much honest thought."

Drakken didn't seem offended at all. "I'd have to forgive that assessment, if I'm honest with myself. It was the challenge, Shego, I loved challenges, but for a long time I set myself unreasonable goals to achieve, and reacted poorly to my failures, even as I actually aimed higher!" He got up and walked over to his microwave. As he placed his coco-moo in it and set the time, he looked back at Shego, "Would you believe that I never actually thought about the probable reactions of the world to being taken over? Or rather someone seriously trying to do so? I really was a fool, maybe the biggest fool I could be. Then, an enemy of mine showed me just what I was. Or at least made me recognize something my subconscious may have been trying to tell me. That I could be the success I so wanted to be, I just needed to adjust my goals."

The microwave chimed, and he removed his drink and sipped at it, and nodded in satisfaction. "The role of Mayor didn't appeal to me at first, but then I studied some of the problems the community has, and the obstacles that need to be surmounted to solve those problems, and it appealed to me as a challenge. That's the only reason I've gone through with it! I mean, how hard would it have been for _me_ to ruin any chance of my winning? Riding a DestructoBot down Main Street wearing cowboy boots and polka-dot shorts would have just about done it, I think!"

Shego winced. "Overkill, Doctor D, definite overkill, there! And thanks for that image!"

Drakken chuckled as he resumed his seat. "Actually, for this election, even _that _might not have been enough! Anyway, I don't see myself remaining in office very long. I might actually make a success of it, and someone would want me running for Governor next!" He said with a slight grin, then sobered. "I _could_ make a success of it, though the temptation to remove obstacles through 'evil' means would be great. But, the challenge would fade sooner or later, and leave me unhappy again. And as you full well know, I don't deal with unhappiness very well!" He sat back and sipped his drink as Shego rose to get her coffee started.

Once that was done, he posed a question to her. "And where will you be while I'm being sworn in? We did agree you might dampen things a bit by attending, or do you think that was the wrong choice?"

Shego shook her head. "No, I have an appointment at the local spa, to meet someone." She shook her head at Drakken's inquiring look. "Not a date, or anything personal, this is business, and I'll talk about it to you later if you want. But right now you should concentrate on your speech, if you haven't already written and re-written it seven times already!"

Drakken rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair. "I actually entertained the thought of having Ronald write it," He mused aloud, "And then Hank Perkins offered to, while trying to get a job with my new administration." He scowled slightly, "As did Vincent Wheeler, as if I was that foolish! Of course, he probably misinterprets my motives in taking the job, like so many others!" He paused to collect his thoughts, "And of course, that's another obstacle to my staying in office too long, the people who will never trust me, because they're paid not to. Global Justice, _et al_, will be double-checking every project for some illegal aspect, delaying aid for the City from the State and Federal Governments...basically the same thing you said about being Chief of Police, Shego!" Something resembling the sounds that might be made by a steam locomotive falling suddenly apart emanated from Shego's coffee machine, and Drakken manged a slight grin. "I think your coffee is ready, Shego!"

Shego rolled her eyes and went to fill her cup as Drakken continued to speak. "All in all, this has been a weird, but rather enjoyable experience. I think I've done more 'new' things in the past three months then in the past three years! And I don't mean finding new ways to ruin my own plots, or allow Kim Possible to. By the way, how did your little rendezvous with Possible and Stoppable go yesterday?"

Shego shrugged as she sipped her coffee. "Some good, some bad. Kimmie had a breakthrough, though, she might be on her way to straightening out." She paused thoughtfully, "She won't be the same old Princess, though. But she might try to be, and that'll cause problems for her."

Drakken nodded sagely, "Which of us are going to be the same, Shego? You've got new problems of your own, if my theory is correct. I'm beginning to recognize that I don't really have much of a long-term plan, need to start thinking about that, seriously!"

"Don't steal my line, Cuz!" Motor Ed rumbled as he wandered in. He sniffed the air, then looked at Shego's mug. "That straight black brew, She-Babe? Can I have some?" Shego blinked, then gestured for him to help himself. He took a large mug and filled it to the brim, then took in a long draught before smiling. "Yeah, that's the stuff!" He looked at Drakken, "Listen Cuz, I'm thinking of hitting the road to someplace warmer. Don't want to harsh your game with this political stuff, whatever it is! Also need to plan on springing my boys come...well, spring! If you don't need any more help getting the Green Magic back, I think I'll leave today."

Drakken took a moment to let this sink in, then nodded. "Of course, If you feel that way. And no, I don't need any more help, your assistance in Go City was more than satisfactory."

Ed looked a little uncomfortable at the last part. "Listen, Cu---Drew, you're not going to talk about that a lot, right? I mean the acting like...the acting I did, the undercover stuff? Don't want that to get around too much, some people might think I'm all about acting, that this isn't the real me, you dig?" Behind Ed, Shego's eyes were wide in astonishment.

"Of course not, Eddie, I agreed before that that whole trip needn't be discussed, ever!" Drakken replied smoothly. Ed studied his cousin's face for a moment, then nodded. "Good enough, Cuz! Listen, since Aunt Emma doesn't let me keep decent food here to cook, I'm heading out to grab some breakfast, see you all later!" He drank the rest of his coffee in one gulp, then headed out.

Shego returned to her seat. "Now I'm _really_ curious! What exactly did you two do to get my brothers to let you scan them?"

Drakken gave her an admonishing look. "Shego, really! You just heard me say I wouldn't discuss it, and I intend to keep my word! If you want the answers that badly however, why not go back to Go City and try and find out from your brothers?" The grin that followed didn't even waver at the dirty look Shego gave him.

Then the thief nodded and leaned back in her seat. "I have to go make plans for the Orphanage's Christmas party with them, anyway! Bah, Humbug!" Then she smiled slightly.

Drakken regarded her curiously. "And Hego will be Santa, I would assume?"

Shego shook her head. "Hard to play Santa when you still believe in him!" Then she waved her hands dismissively. "Seriously, though, no, Hego will be Hego, Hero of Go City! Duff's going to be Santa this year."

Drakken now showed frank astonishment. "Shego how do you get them all to do it? Supervillains playing werewolves and witches, and now Santa Claus?"

Shego smiled evilly. "That's my secret, Doc. And wait until you see the Seniors playing the 'Old' and the 'New' Years at that party this year!" She chuckled at the glazed look that came over Drakken's eyes.

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Doctor Director didn't often get to talk shop with old friends outside GJ. This morning she was having a breakfast chat with one Bill Laury, A senior member of the FBI Organized Crime Task Force.

"So, basically, 'organized' crime in the Tri-Cities is now in the hands of local talent again?" Betty was asking while watching critically as her colleague tucking into a large, and probably very unhealthy breakfast.

He nodded, washed down a mouthful with orange juice, and elaborated. "Just the way it was four years ago when those two came here from the East Coast, to 'straighten out' things here."

"Why the East Coast, though? Surely there were people closer to handle the job?" Betty asked as she nibbled on a danish. Not that she didn't sometimes indulge in large meals, but her choice of food was far better thought out. Yet, Laury showed no signs of ill-health or lack of fitness. _"He's just one of those lucky __ones, I guess! Would hate him for it, but the possibility that it will all catch up to him one day..."_

"I can't state this as fact, but there's a rumor that their boss back East 'volunteered' them when he heard there was an 'opening'. 'Grimm' by the way...don't you love his originality? Anyway, Grimm is married to the daughter of a fairly big wheel back there, but apparently his father-in-law can't stand him, and frankly can live with not seeing his daughter on a daily basis either, if you get my drift! So, the guys out here accepted the two volunteers as a favor. Now, we just have to see if the locals learned anything new from them, or will go back to their old style of business."

"Which would you prefer?" Betty asked, while signaling their server for a coffee refill.

Laury shrugged. "Well, opinions are mixed. Personally, I hope they go back to the old ways completely. They kept everything low-key, didn't upset the community too much, and weren't all that greedy, as Mob operations go. On the other hand, keeping track of the players was harder, and prosecutions fewer. With the Eastern boys in town, we managed a couple of big raids we couldn't have before. The only solid racket they had left after that was their fledgling construction racket."

"And look who we have to thank for that running aground." Betty commented with a touch of asperity. "Of course, if someone would just charge Drakken Federally..."

Laury rolled his eyes, washed down another mouthful of food and wiped his mouth with a napkin before replying. "Betty, I've talked personally to all four prosecutors who still have a case pending against Doctor Drakken, and none of them feel they can take what they've got to court! Incomplete evidence, hard to believe charges, and mostly having to put Kim Possible on the stand as their key witness! I mean, even before what happened on TV with that Dale woman, the idea of her as chief witness, with whatever sharks Drakken hired to defend him going after her testimony just seemed like a bad career risk for all of them."

"Career risk!" Betty almost snarled the words, "That's all they're concerned about?"

Laury shrugged. "For the four who drew the cases, yes! There are some guys I know who would have gone ahead, but not many, and they either get the big cases that someone really wants prosecuted, or they're the ones that worry their bosses, and get stuck with the 'quiet' cases. Drakken just got lucky, always got the wusses."

Betty didn't respond, and Laury resumed eating for a couple of minutes, but the silence got to him. "What are you thinking?"

Betty seemed to come back from some place else mentally. "What? Oh, sorry. It's just that with Drakken, I never take his 'luck' for granted. I was just wondering if there was a way for him to have 'arranged' for those prosecutors. But then again, I've spent a few sleepless nights trying to decide if he arranged this whole Mayor thing somehow. I honestly don't think he did, but that's me, with some people I just don't accept things at face value."

Laury nodded his understanding. "That's one of the things that makes you good at your job, Betty, always making sure someone isn't slipping one past you! I don't know how many times I've had superiors who accepted things at 'face value', often just to avoid having to worry." Then he looked at Betty curiously. "And what is worrying you the most, other then one of your primary concerns becoming a legally elected official?"

Betty stalled her answer by taking a sip from her coffee. Then she sighed slightly. "I'm honestly not sure. It's probably because after all this time, Drew Lipsky can still surprise me so thoroughly, I guess."

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At lunchtime in the MHS cafeteria, Ron again found himself surrounded by quite a collection of beautiful girls. In fact, he was starting to draw scowls from some of the other male students. But despite having Bonnie, Tara and Monique seated around him, his eyes were on the soon to be occupant of the chair next to him. Kim was still in line for her food, and appeared preoccupied. Today was the first day since her injury that she hadn't worn her sling, though of course it had been unnecessary for some time.

"So, she had some sort of breakthrough, Ron?" Monique was asking, trying to draw his attention. "Did she tell you what it was?"

Ron never took his eyes of Kim as he shook his head. "Not yet. And no dream-link last night, first time in a week!"

Though her face showed her concern, Monique tried to lighten things a bit. "Sure she wasn't just avoiding a repeat of 'Planet of the Naked Mole Rats'?"

"Nah, she was cool about that after a couple of.." Ron began, then his head snapped around to stare wide-eyed at the girl, "She told you about that one?!"

Bonnie smirked slyly. "Yep, the _whole_ story!" Ron's mouth dropped open and his face began to turn red, but Bonnie resisted the temptation to add to his discomfiture. "Did the Emperor Mole Rat really have Mister Barkin's voice?" Relieved a bit by the tame question, Ron nodded warily. At which point Monique blindsided him.

"And his main human 'trustee' had a _very_ familiar harem?" She asked archly. As Ron colored again, she shook her head, "What is it with you and harems, Ron? And especially putting Kim in harem clothes? Oops, hold on, here she comes!" But before Kim really came close, Bonnie managed to stage-whisper, "Better then some of the things Brick claimed he dreamed of me wearing!" Monique gave her an arch look, then mouthed, 'Details Later!', just as Kim arrived and sat down.

And killed the chat, for nearly five minutes. Finally Kim herself finished chewing a mouthful, washed it down, and spoke. "This is not the place to talk about it. Not in a High School cafeteria, and especially not with a surveillance drone hovering overhead." Then she returned to eating. Four sets of eyes blinked, then in unison four heads tilted back to look upwards. After a moment, Ron made an observation. "Nice camouflage, even has fake mystery meat splatters painted on it!"

"Or..." Monique countered, "It's been up there long enough to get some of the real thing!" Then three sets of eyes(Tara continued to squint one-eyed at the dinner plate sized disk hovering near the ceiling) looked towards another table across the room, where four male students appeared to be abruptly sitting at attention. "Buzz, your brothers, and...Reger?" Monique observed, scowling.

"They started their own website, _'The Kim Possible Insider!'_ a couple of weeks ago." Kim remarked in a matter-of-fact voice.

Bringing her gaze down from the ceiling, Tara saw a familiar glint appear in Bonnie's eyes. _"Uh-Oh, she's baaaack!"_

"They're the ones who ran that story about how I tried to usurp your position on the welcoming committee for Quinn, last year?" The brunette practically growled.

Kim nodded, then added quietly, "Bonnie, these are my brothers..."

"So you want me to go _easy _on them?" Bonnie practically hissed.

Kim grimaced and shook her head. "I was going to say, these are my brothers, and I can't do any grievous bodily harm to them personally, so I wondered if you'd do a little extra on my behalf?" Tara looked at Kim in unfeigned horror, as Bonnie's face broke out in a predatory smile. "No _problemo_, Possible!" She rose to her feet and made some kind of complicated hand signal. All the other members of the cheer squad rose from wherever they were seated and converged on Bonnie, who was obviously in full 'Queen B' mode. Somehow the four targets of her ire managed to keep an eye on her while using the minimum of head movement.

Ron made a show of sniffing the air. "You can practically smell the fear from here." He commented, then grinned at Kim, "You sure you won't regret this?"

Kim scowled, then shook her head. "I was an only child once, and I remember it as a happy time, I'm sure it will be again." Monique was threatening to asphyxiate from trying to hold in her laughter. Tara just shook her head. "Kim, thou know not what thou hath unleashed!" She then rose and headed for the cheerleader huddle, leaving the remaining table occupants blinking in shock. After a moment, Kim shook her head. "By the way, if I'm going to unburden myself, it's going to be just once, so let's all meet at my house at five, unless I'm a fugitive from justice by that time, in which case we'll have to reschedule on the fly."

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"Not exactly where I planned to be when we set up this meeting." Shego commented as she took a bite out of a lemon cream filled donut, taking care not to drop any of the filling on her dress.

"I know, I was looking forward to that spa day too, but the volunteer rotation set up to cover for me fell apart, and since I reported myself fit to return to work..." Bernadette Barr shrugged aplogetically before continuing her inventory of the nurse's office. "Wished they'd called me earlier, only two periods left until the day's over."

Shego shrugged back affably. "Not your fault, I guess. So, these are standard for the teacher's lounge?" She held up the donut, then gestured to three more on a plate sitting on Bernie's desk.

Bernie shook her head. "No, those are courtesy of Mister Bray. American History teacher. Only teacher Steve Barkin never fills in for, and you don't know how _badly_ Mister Barkin wants to expound on the subject of our Nation's history! Anyway, Bray brings those in, and offers them to all the female faculty, then leaves the rejects behind for anyone to take. Mister Carmeck is usually waiting to pounce and devour four or five, but I beat him to it today. Besides..." She grabbed a chocolate frosted donut, "...missed _my_ lunch, too!"

Shego finished her donut, licked her fingers, then wiped her hands on a paper towel. "Okay, shall we get down to business?"

Bernie nodded, but continued to open cabinets and scan their contents while devouring her donut as she talked. "I've found no sign my father hired those ninja to fix Kim's arm. The idea was pretty thin to start with, motive-wise. If he had caught on to what Frank was up to, he'd have stopped it."

"Unless he was in on it from the start, with Frank as front man." Shego countered.

Bernie shook her head. "Frank's plan was to end up Mayor himself, by finding a way to get Bennett Rockwaller out, once they were elected. If Dad wanted Frank in that office, or Joe Geary out, for that matter, he could have done either easily, trust me!"

"What if he found out, but let it go on, to see how far your brother would take it?"

"Still doesn't explain healing Kim. Frank wasn't responsible for her injury, so no 'damage control' there." Bernie frowned, "Though if he knew, and wanted Kim in good shape if Frank went through with his plan...No, doesn't really wash. Even if dad had guilty knowledge of Frank's activities, I still can't connect him to the Ninja Nurses. He simply had no reason, connected to Frank's plan, to fix Kim up!"

"'Connected to Frank's plan'." Shego repeated slowly, "Well, what if he just plain knew about the ninjas, and hired them to fix Kim, for altruistic reasons?"

Bernie actually considered that seriously. "That actually...he might, he thinks highly of Kim. But, realistically, these Ninjas are criminals, he'd need a better reason to become involved with them, so I'd have to reject that one, too. What about your main suspects, and who's your third?"

Shego smirked. "Patience! Now, the Seniors are probably the best suspects. I've always wondered about Junior's physique, compared to his father's, and his uncle's. His mother was very petite, he didn't get that build from her. So, I thought he was a workout freak, until I crossed paths with an ex-servant of theirs, who in five years never saw Junior lift a weight, nor did he ever see him exercise in any way. The old man did, but not Junior. Oh, did you know Junior played Rugby?"

Bernie closed the cabinet she was searching and turned with an incredulous frown on her face. "You're kidding! I thought he was all about protecting his looks, and didn't care for getting hit?"

"Bit more complicated than that. He didn't mind the violence while playing a 'manly' sport at all, but I hear he whined at length whenever he was fouled, or whatever you call it in rugby, or cheap-shotted. And he frequently responded to accusations of being a 'crybaby' by asking the other guy, who was usually a lot smaller, 'Would you rather I simply retaliate, hmmm?' I'm serious, that's what he said!" She waved her hand dismissively. "Forget that, back to the subject. So, I began to suspect the old man was doing a little experimenting with genetics, or something similar."

Bernie now perched on a stool and reached for one of the remaining donuts, but Shego was faster, grabbing the one with strawberry frosting and sprinkles first, then sticking out her tongue at Bernie's glare. The nurse then shrugged and grabbed the plain cake donut remaining. "Sure it isn't just steroids?"

Shego snorted. "Not likely, Senor Senior Senior wants another generation of Seniors, so no steroids in the future producer of his heirs. No, there's something afoot there. I actually entertained an idea from some horror movie, that he was planning to transplant his own brain into Junior's body. Then I sobered up." Bernie grinned as Shego shook her head wonderingly, "Never drank that stuff again! Anyway, it's not beyond reason that Triple-S might be interested in that sort of technology, maybe even to extend his own life. Another thing is a story I heard but can't verify. According to this source, Junior tore a knee ligament when he was fifteen. But, though he had no surgery, he was seen by the source running along the beach three weeks later with no sign of the injury. Not conclusive, but..."

Bernie nodded her understanding. "Very suggestive. So it's possible Senor Senior is involved in medical research that might be very beneficial to mankind, but he lets ninjas use it for good and evil purposes? Still a little confusing. Anyway, about time you revealed the third candidate?"

Shego regarded her for a moment with a faint smile on her lips. "Doctor Director."

"Huh?" Bernie gave her a suspicious look. "Are you serious?"

"Well, I'm thinking deviously here, but yes, Betty Director. And on the subject of Global Justice, do you remember the story of how Kimmie got involved in the caper that gave her her demon? Betty's deputy got her involved? Well, I found something interesting about him. Something _extremely_ interesting. I saw a picture of him recently, never mind why, and saw a resemblance between him and someone else of my recent acquaintance. Specifically, Agent Alpha."

Bernie's jaw dropped. Then she shook her head as if to clear it. "Are you saying Betty Director isn't the only GJ officer with family in the enemy's ranks?"

Shego shook her head. "Not exactly. I think 'Alpha' is an attempt to penetrate WWEE, launched by that guy in an attempt to get back at Betty for putting his career on hold over Kimmie's involvement in that mess. Alpha joined WWEE last February, and rose very quickly through the ranks. The only way he could have done that is to have impressed Gemini, and never failed an assignment."

Bernie was mildly aghast. "But he was really going to kill you!"

Shego shrugged. "You think that proves me wrong? Not hard..." she broke off as there came a knock at the office door. Bernie scowled over the interruption, but called "Come in." The door opened, and Kim walked in, hesitating only briefly when she saw Shego. The thief on her part shifted uneasily in her seat.

"Kim, is something wrong?" Bernie's attitude had shifted immediately to one of concern when she saw who it was. But Kim smiled and shook her head. "No, I just wanted to invite you to my confession tonight. Five O'Clock sharp, my house." She looked at Shego speculatively for a moment. "If you want, you can come too, Shego."

Shego hesitated, then sighed in disgust. "Possible, you know it's going to drive me crazy not knowing, but I can't! I've got to be somewhere with the Doc tonight." Kim seemed to be momentarily trying to discern if Shego was being honest, then she nodded. "Okay, you'll probably hear it sooner or later anyway, so maybe I can tell you now."

Bernie shook her head. "Not and make it to your next class on time, Kim. I'd like to hear the story too, but it'll have to wait." Kim winced, then nodded. Shego rolled her eyes. Then the door burst open, and an out-of-breath student stood there. "Miss Barr! Is nail polish permanent?" He asked anxiously.

All three occupants blinked at the boy in surprise, before Bernie found her voice. "What? No, what's this about? You can take it off with nail polish remover!"

"Do you have a whole lot of it, like a gallon or two?" Again struck dumb by the weirdness of the request, Bernie failed to see the blush rising in Kim's cheeks, but Shego didn't miss it.

"Okay, is this a joke? Why would you need a gallon of it?" Bernie queried the excited youngster.

"Oh!" The boy exclaimed, "And Vaseline? You'll need a lot of that, too! I mean, I didn't know you could stack four students in one hall locker, I'd have sworn it was too small!"

Bernie stood for a moment with jaw dropped, then looked at Shego. "You wouldn't happen to carry any high explosives? No?" She opened a drawer and took out a long screwdriver. "Then I hope I remember how to disassemble a hall locker with this." She smiled at Kim, "And never mind why I learned to do it, don't want to corrupt your mind." Then she frowned. "Kim are you all right? You look a little flushed."

Kim's response was barely a squeak. "I'm fine!" Then she cringed at a familiar suspicious look on Bernie's face, one she hadn't seen since she was ten. But the impatient boy at the door drew Bernie's attention, and with one last glance at Kim, she followed him out the door. From somewhere in the distance, Steve Barkin's unmistakable bellow could be heard. The words were indistinct, but the word 'Possible' definitely featured in whatever he was saying.

Shego continued to stare suspiciously at Kim, until the girl finally looked at her, and said in a quiet voice, "I am _so_ going to hell for this!"

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In contrast to that madness, Drakken's swearing-in went as smoothly as could be hoped. It took place in the City Council's chamber at City Hall. The oath of office was administered by Judge Aloysius Grogan, who looked like any criminal's nightmare of a hanging judge when presiding over the courtroom, but who's diminutive stature somewhat detracted from his menace on other occasions.

The whole City Council was in attendance, along with the press, the new Chief of Police, and those people Drakken had hired for his staff. Frugal Lucre's bow tie was loud enough to set off fire alarms, and his mother sniffed throughout the ceremony as if it were a wedding. Mrs Lerman was also present, beaming proudly at her son. Jean Stoppable stood just behind Drew, Hana in her arms. (Ron would later have a fit when a foreign newspaper published a photo that labeled his Mom and Hana as Drakken's wife and son!)

Emma Lipsky was still disappointed at the lack of more festivities, especially a parade, and had not been amused by Motor Ed's remark that if all his gang wasn't in jail, he'd have staged one, promising the additional participation of the State, County, and Middleton Police Forces.

One reporter, also disappointed at the lack of excitement, and influenced by a certain movie, mused aloud but quietly whether all of Drakken's enemies were being murdered somewhere as they all stood there listening to the oath. One of his colleagues gave him a dark look, but Summer Gale perked up, slipped back into a corner, and made a cellphone call. And came back a few minutes later with a sour look on her face, glaring at the reporter who had been musing aloud.

Betty Director didn't attend, but Will Du, Brenda Core and Wallace Dill from GJ were present to observe the attendees. They joined a group of Federal agents from various agencies at the back of the observer's gallery, and eventually agreed not a single suspicious character, save the Mayor-Elect himself, and his new financial consultant, had shown up. Their reactions when a page approached them and announced that the new Mayor had set a up some donuts for their refreshment in a nearby room were mostly vituperative, though one or two stomachs did growl, and the donuts _did_ all disappear within the hour.

When he had finished, Judge Grogan looked at Drakken with a look of relief on his face. "I'm pleasantly surprised that went so smoothly."

Drakken nodded. "As am I. In fact, things have gone so smoothly lately I'm almost beginning to worry about the wheel turning, as it were!" He then heard Lucre whispering behind him. "Is it over?" Someone murmured back, and a sharp whistle promptly split the air. "WooHoo! Three cheers for the new Mayor of Middleton! Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip...ah come on! Isn't anyone else going to cheer? Hip Hi...OW! Ma! Not the ear!" Drakken looked at the Judge with a wan grin. "Well, that makes me feel a little better, believe it or not!"

Drakken made a very brief speech afterwards to the press.

"I henceforth promise not to exceed 120 words per speech. After careful examination with the most precise of scientific methods, I have determined that at 130 words I go into a rant mode, and that's never pretty." He paused and heard a mix of polite and sincere amusement from the assembly. "Seriously, though, I do handle public speaking badly, so it's just as well I won without really giving a speech." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Could I hopefully be setting a precedent for the future of politics?" That received more sincere laughter then his previous witticism. "Anyway, despite strong doubts in many circles, I will do my best for the interests of the citizens of Middleton as long as I'm in office. If I start to find myself straying from this promise, I'll hand the office over to Mrs Stoppable and vacate the premises posthaste. Thank You very much for your votes, and your support, past, present, and future. Now, I'd better get to work proving that support was the right thing to do! Good Day, Ladies and Gentlemen!"

And he beat a hasty retreat as a barrage of questions flew at him. _"Hmmm, the way Shego feels about Adrena Lynn, perhaps I should have hired her as my Press Secretary after all, and let her be my rearguard on these occasions!"_

In the gallery, Will shook his head. "I cannot believe it. A supervillain has been elected Mayor of an American City!"

Brenda Core nodded, and put an imaginary phone to her ear. "Hello, Vegas? Whatever odds you're giving on that snowball in hell, I'll take them!"

Wally Dill sighed. "Well, if anyone wants me, I'll be down at the Air Traffic Control Center, tracking pigs on the radar."

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Yes, Kim will really tell her friends about what's been bothering her, even though now she's not scared of some unknown memory anymore, but what her friends will think of her afterwards. But that's next time. Until then, Please Read and Review.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

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Kim cuddled up with Ron on the sofa in her living room. The house was quiet, though deceptively so. Kim's parents and her brothers were all absent. The couple had been sitting there in companionable silence for nearly ten minutes, Kim trying not to think of what she intended to do when the others showed up.

Of course, even with the best will in the world, Ron could not stay silent forever. "KP, do you think we have any control over this dream thing? And why do you think it was 'off' for so long?"

Kim took a moment to emerge from her reverie and reply. "I don't think you can consciously control your subconscious, Ron. Why do you ask?"

"Well, no connection last night, I did wonder if you were blocking me out, that's all." Kim pursed her lips in a frown for a moment, then shrugged slightly. "Not consciously, Ron. But if it was subconscious, I understand why. By the way, I found out you talked to my doctor, and gave her the idea that I was 'hiding' from my own dreams in yours." Ron tensed a bit, but Kim squeezed his hand reassuringly, "And you were right, I think. Not that all of your dreams were fun and games, I have to admit, but not many real nightmares."

"Not when you're in my dreams, KP." Kim sat up and turned to look at him, and he decided he needed elaboration. "I mean, when we're linked, no nightmares. I'm not afraid of anything when I'm with you." He told her solemnly. Kim continued to just study his face for a moment, then she leaned in and kissed him. It was only about a 'six' on the Kim/Ron scale, but it was good enough as far as Ron was concerned. And predictably, the doorbell rang in the middle of it. The two both snorted, an interesting experience, and separated, Kim rolling her eyes as she jumped to her feet and headed for the door. Ron rose in a more leisurely fashion and trailed after her.

Bonnie, Tara, and Monique were standing there when Kim opened the door. A very apprehensive Bonnie, who peered nervously past Kim. Kim for her part winced slightly. She hadn't really meant to build up such a big audience for tonight's little confession. But there was nothing to be done about it now. She stepped back and waved them in. "Hi guys, come on in and make yourself comfortable, we have one other person to wait for." She finally noticed Bonnie's nervousness when the brunette lagged behind the others, and guessed the reason. "My parents aren't here, Bonnie. They took the Tweebs over to the Regers, they're all getting together with the Carsons as well as our minister, I think."

"They're organizing a lynch mob, aren't they?" Bonnie asked, quite seriously. Kim blinked in surprise at the notion, while Ron grinned. "Well," He remarked, "Mr Dr P did say something about taking his whittling knife, and maybe sharpening a stake or two." Monique smacked him on the arm, while suppressing a grin. Kim gave him a mild glare, before reassuring Bonnie, "Don't worry about what you and the girls did to them, the 'rents were far more peeved at what they found on the website. Oh, anyone know who it was who anonymously sent my Mom the site address?" She looked at all their faces, but everyone shrugged, and she detected no signs of deceit.

"By the way, Bon-B...Bonnie, how did you get them all in one locker?" Ron asked. The brunette's eyes started to narrow at Ron's little slip, but then she shrugged. "Some of the lockers along that one hall aren't flush with the wall. Take the back out, and there's some extra space back there. But even so, a little lubrication was in order." Monique's eyes bulged as she bit her knuckles, and Tara turned red. Kim gave Bonnie a look, started to speak, then looked at Ron and subsided.

Bonnie now had a question for Kim. "What they found on the site? You mean the gossip they made up?"

Kim shook her head. "Didn't you notice some of the advertising banners?"

Bonnie scowled thoughtfully, then shook her head. "Just the one for the _'True Kim Possible'_ site, I was a little too busy reading what they wrote about me. You should be mad, too! Remember when Brick hurt my ribs, and I was walking around a little stiffly? They sort of attributed that to you in the story."

Kim's eyes widened. "'Sort of' attributed? What did they say I did, beat you up, or something?"

"They _implied_ that we came to blows, yes." Noting the rising color in Kim's face, Bonnie hastily added, "But your brothers might not have had anything to do with that story, they weren't even in our school then! Probably just Reger. Um, what other banners were there?"

Kim glowered a moment before calming down. "Not too sure, but Mom blushed when she clicked on one and saw where it linked to, according to Dad. And she wasn't too happy he let that slip, either!"

"So!" Desperate to change the subject, Monique cut in, "We have the whole house to ourselves?"

"No!" Ron intoned portentously, "We are not alone!" the three newcomers peered around the room, until Bonnie spotted Rufus sniffing around the sofa. "Ah, your little creepy pet is here, I see." She had just taken her eyes off the Mole Rat when a startled squawk came from Ron's pet. Bonnie's eyes snapped back to the spot where he had been, but all she saw was the skirting of the sofa moving. Then a giggle emanated from beneath it.

"Hana's here, too." Kim explained, "Playing hide-and-seek with Rufus right now. So far the score is Hana four, Rufus one." An agitated chattering came from beneath the sofa. "Oops! Sorry, Hana four, Rufus two, my bad!" A giggle then sounded in response, and all three newcomers' heads snapped around to stare at Mister Possible's easy chair. "Wait a minute..." Bonnie began, pointing at the sofa, then the chair, then back again, "How could she...." The doorbell rang again, and Kim stifled a snort of amusement before going to answer it. The smile on her face disappeared as her jaw dropped when she saw who was standing there. "Shego?"

The pale thief had a sour look on her face."Yeah, yeah! Look, Doctor D made reservations for four, expecting it to be me, him, Mama Lipsky, and Mrs Stoppable. There was some kind of misunderstanding about whether Ron's pop would be free, but he showed up, so I excused myself. Needed some kind of entertainment, decided hearing your dark secret might be good for a laugh, so here I am!" Kim just stared at her for a moment, then stepped back and gestured for her to enter.

Shego drew stares from everyone in the living room, though only Ron's was anything but surprised. His was wary, bordering on hostile. Shego was puzzled, considering recent events, then realized it was her presence in Kim's home that probably disturbed him. _"More then it bothered him when I was in _his _home? Really too protective of Kimmie, he can drive her away if....like I care? Feh!"_

Kim followed Shego back into the living room, a thoughtful look on her face. "Wonder what's keeping Bernie?" Then she looked around. "Oh! Sorry, anyone want something to drink? Soda, that is. Or water, of course!" Shego declined, as did Bonnie. Monique and Tara both took sodas. Bonnie peeked under the easy chair while Kim was in the kitchen, and stood up frowning. "Okay, that little girl..." she trailed off as she saw Hana sitting on the sofa, holding a sippy cup in her hands, watching the brunette curiously. "...is freaking me out." Bonnie muttered under her breath.

Kim had hardly given her friends their sodas when the doorbell rang again. As Kim went to answer it, the others all moved into the entryway as well, save for Ron and Tara. As Kim swung open the door, Shego's eyes bulged. "D--Doctor Director?" Kim stammered out, "What brings you here?

Betty's eye had locked onto Shego as soon as she had a clear line of sight to her. And she didn't take it off her as she replied. "I wanted to tell you a couple of things that might interest you, didn't know you had company. I can come back later if you like. What's wrong?" Bonnie, Monique, and Shego's eyes were suddenly looking down towards Betty's feet, all wide with alarm. She froze instinctively. She felt nothing, but now Kim looked down as well, and gasped. Then, from the living room came Ron's voice. "Hana? Tara did you see where she went?"

Then came a familiar voice from behind Betty, as all the eyes trained on he rfeet tracked upwards. "Why hello there! You must be Hana, I've heard a great deal about you!" Recognizing Bernadette Barr's voice, Betty started to turn around. "Now what have we here? Could you give that to me? Thank You so much, Hana, there's a good girl! Doctor Director..." Betty stopped turning, and her face blanched when she saw Bernie, with Hana cradled in one arm, and holding something out to her with the other, "You might want to invest in a child-proof ankle holster in future."

0000000000

Drakken's choice of venue for his 'victory' dinner was based on his mother's preference. Not that he objected to a buffet style restaurant at all, especially since it allowed his mother to ask all her questions about the contents of each dish away from the table, and didn't require their server to have to go back and forth to interrogate the chefs regarding what brand of onions had been sautéed for a particular dish, or the ratio of iceberg to romaine lettuce in a particular salad. He watched her bending the ear of a young man in a white chef's jacket as he sat with the Stoppables at their table. At this distance, he couldn't tell if the young man's eyes were glazing over yet, though he suspected they were.

Dean Stoppable had not been very communicative, and Drakken suspected why, but wasn't going to breach the subject first, if it was to be breached at all. Dean had been very polite to Mama Lipsky, but monosyllabic when it came to Drakken himself. Jean had been far more voluble, but had made no attempt to draw her husband out, which Drakken took as a sign that it was probably a lost cause to try and make the man speak before he chose to. But then, just after their server refreshed their drinks, and someone took a flash picture that left Drakken's eyes dazzled, Dean spoke up. And spoke bluntly.

"I find it difficult to sit with a man who tried to kill my son." He stated flatly, though in a tone low enough not to carry to nearby tables. Jean looked up sharply from her plate, eyes switching back and forth between the two men.

"I wondered when you were going to get around to saying it." Drakken responded, "And for the record, I haven't tried to kill him in over a year. In fact, I've had to take the 'death' part out of my deathtraps, because neither he nor Kimberly will just sit quietly in them and let me do my evil business!" He grinned faintly, "But don't tell them, the traps still look lethal enough!"

"Really?" Dean responded with barely concealed sarcasm, "And why did you 'suddenly' decide _not _to kill them, after trying so many times? Why deescalate, rather then escalate?"

Drakken chewed his lip for a moment, then took a drink before replying. "Two things changed me, Mr Stoppable. The first, which I've often acknowledged, was reading your son's own depiction of me, which was far too close to the truth for my own comfort. Mind you, as I've become more effective in real life, though still flawed, my portrayal in his stories has become more comedic, an odd contradiction to say the least."

Interested despite himself, Dean queried, "What was the second thing?"

Drakken looked towards his mother. The first young man she had been talking to had been relieved by another. Face thoughtful, Drakken replied, "Mother asked me to accompany her on a trip to Washington DC. And while there we visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. I can truthfully say that visit altered my attitude towards death and the taking of life, Mr Stoppable."

Dean's jaw dropped in surprise, and it took him a moment to regain his composure. Jean watched him with a touch of concern in her eyes. "I—I intended to—um, intended to take Ronald there one day, when he was old enough to—um, old enough to understand it, but I never got around to it." he stammered out, "And now—well, he hasn't seen _worse, _of course, but—but he is past old enough now, isn't he?" he ended plaintively, looking to his wife.

Drakken nodded solemnly. "Yes, and I apologize for whatever contribution I may have made to him being mature enough, though that was inevitable, wasn't it?" Both Stoppables nodded in acknowledgment, and the table fell silent until Emma Lipsky returned with a plateful of food. "What nice young people they have working here, so helpful!" She commented happily as Drew held her chair for her as she sat down.

"Yes they are!" Jean responded. Trying to get the conversation restarted, and definitely redirected, she asked a question that had been hanging in the back of her mind for a while, which before she had been too polite to ask. "Drew, I apologize if this is not a happy subject, but where did you get that scar under your eye?"

As Drakken involuntarily reached up to touch the scar, his mother nudged him with an elbow. "You can tell them the true story, I know all about it!"

Drakken gaped at her, then asked warily, "Really?" Emma nodded, swallowed her next mouthful, then leaned over and whispered in his ear. A momentary expression of shock appeared on Drakken's face, then he cleared his throat and looked across at the Stoppables. "Well! It seems that keeping secrets from my Mother is just as hard now as it was when I was a child!" He smiled at Mama Lipsky to show no offense was meant, or taken. "Well, it's simple, really! Have you read all of your son's stories?"

Dean nodded as he took a sip of his iced tea. "I have, Jean has trouble with some, because she imagines the real events they might have been inspired by." His wife nodded in agreement with his statement.

"Ah, good! Remember one he entitled 'Queen BeBe'?" After a moment's thought, Dean nodded. "Well, I really tried to make a supersonic robot, but found that the stresses involved when using legs instead of wheels were insurmountable. At least up until the point I tabled the experiment!" He touched the scar again. "This is from my 'successful' test, where one of my BeBes actually broke the sound barrier. And basically disintegrated! I also found out, as those gentlemen on Mythbusters did, that not all 'safety' glass is proof against high-velocity penetration! This was done by a fragment of the robot. And I'm lucky all I got was a scar, and not a lost eye! Wouldn't want to be mistaken for Gemini, after all!"

"A horrible, horrible man!" Mrs Lipsky opined, "I'm so glad he's locked away now!"

Drakken favored her with a puzzled look. "How do you know about Gemini, Mother?" The whole WWEE versus Global Justice thing was Top Secret, of course, so no press mention of Gemini's arrest had been made.

Emma froze with her fork to her mouth, then shrugged as she chewed. "Must have read it somewhere." She remarked when her mouth was empty.

But her son wasn't going to let it drop. "It hasn't exactly been announced on the evening news, Mother, and it's supposedly quite a secret, so where could you have read it?" To himself, Drakken conceded that with the many witnesses at the Barr Halloween party, someone might have identified the villain and talked about it, but he suspected that wasn't the source of his mother's information. She was being evasive, in a manner wholly familiar to him. "Mother, where did you read about it?"

She wet her lips nervously, then picked up her glass and started to drink. She managed half the glass in one go before she apparently decided he wasn't buying the stall. She set the glass down and looked around the room. "Where's our server? I'd like a refill!"

"Mother." Drakken repeated, "You're trying a bit too hard to avoid this question, so I'll have to assume you've done something I wouldn't approve of."

At this statement, Emma put on a look of feigned outrage. "That you wouldn't approve of?" She looked at the Stoppables. "Did you hear him? My son, saying I need to get his approval to do anything?" She noticed that both of them were unsuccessfully trying to hide grins. So, she decided to surrender gracefully. "Okay, okay, so I've been looking at a couple of websites on line, is that a crime?" she folded her arms across her chest and pouted. Though he had only seen Kim's Puppy Dog Pout once, Drakken had to admit his mother couldn't hold a candle to the teenager.

"No, Mother," He replied reasonably, "Though I might be alarmed if you're studying sites _about_ crime!"

Mama Lipsky hesitated, then unfolded her arms and nodded. She addressed the Stoppables, "I'm just trying to follow my son's career, he never tells me anything!" Jean snorted explosively, then began to cough as her husband patted her on the back. She waved him off and took a swallow from her drink. "I'm okay!" she gasped out, "Just went down the wrong way, that's all."

0000000000

"The main thing I wanted to tell you about concerns WWEE." Betty Director began. She was trying and failing not to notice the smile flickering around Shego's lips, but at least she wasn't blushing in response anymore. "As of today, the organization has split into at least two separate groups. The new group is calling itself the Evil World Wide Empire, E.W.W.E.."

That actually made the smile vanish from Shego's face, as she loosed a derisive snort. "Lacking a little imagination there, aren't they?" She commented sarcastically.

"Actually, it's because of something my brother did with their new uniforms." Betty replied, "He had the initials of the organization affixed individually to the uniforms with Velcro. That way, as he was berating some poor fool who was probably about to take the plunge, he could rip them off the man's uniform one at a time."

"Man?" Kim asked curiously, "What about his female agents?"

"Oh, he never dropped them in the pit." Betty answered. "In fact, he never spoke to them, unless absolutely necessary. He's very reticent around women, believe it or not. Present company excepted, of course."

"So you're saying.." Monique spoke up, "That to avoid buying new unis, they just rearranged the letters on the old ones?" Betty shrugged, just as Ron chuckled.

When he saw he'd drawn everyone's attention, he explained, "Sorry, was just imaging what the next group will be. 'Extraordinary Evil, World Wide'? E.E.W.W.?"

"Or 'Wicked Empire of World Evil'!" Bonnie put in, grinning.

"How about 'Empire of Worldly Evil'?" Monique suggested. "No reason for them to use all the letters, is there?"

"Or 'Western Evil Empire'!" Tara chimed in. Kim closed her mouth. She's been about to suggest 'Evil Empire of the West'.

"All very nice suggestions, but seriously, we've got our hands full trying to keep their internecine conflict from injuring civilians. And trying to take advantage of it, to do as much damage to their infrastructure as possible. I'd also like to inform you that Alpha is at large again."

"What?" Shego spat out, "How the hell did that happen? No, wait! His brother had something to do with it, didn't he?"

Betty blinked rapidly in surprise. "How do you know about his brother?"

"I saw the family resemblance." Shego snapped in reply, "Now how did he get free?"

"Wait! Who's who's brother?" Ron stammered, "I mean, who's brother is who? I mean..." He stopped when Kim put her hand on his arm. Betty had also held up a hand to try and arrest his babbling. Kim then turned to Betty, "I just recently heard that he'd been found?"

"You got that news a little late, Kim, sorry." Betty responded apologetically, "He's the brother of my former Deputy, Ron, the man who got Kim involved in that affair last year. And that's the main reason he's free now." Betty's expression soured considerably. "His brother claimed that he had him infiltrate WWEE, and further claimed that the infiltration was a great success! Got him moved to a safe house, with the blessing of the Chief Executive Committee of GJ. And for a while, he gave us some good info on WWEE. But earlier today, just after his brother went to visit him personally for the first time, we lost contact with the house."

"When a response team got there, they found the guards knocked out, and his brother buried up to his neck in a compost heap, with a small sign taped to his forehead. It said 'I never liked you anyway, big brother'. There was of course no sign of Alpha."

"He'll turn up in command of one of the surviving fragments of WWEE." Shego commented disgustedly. "Probably the one least damaged by the info he gave you!"

Betty sighed and nodded. "Much as I hate to agree with you, I'm afraid you're right." She turned to Kim, "And that's my wonderful news! Now, what were you going to tell us?"

Kim grimaced, as Ron took her hand and squeezed it. She smiled at him, then addressed the others. "Was actually thinking that I was going to do this once, and get it over with!" She smiled wanly. "Wasn't really thinking it through. Have to tell it to Doctor Cardien at my next session, and tell my parents some time, too. So, this might just be a rehearsal for the harder one, please excuse me if it's confusing."

"Tell it in your own way, Kim." Bernie told the girl. Bernie was holding a now-sleeping Hana in her lap. "And only as much as you're comfortable with."

Kim nodded gratefully, squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and began. "Ron made my memory come back last night just by saying 'Ron Says'. It brought back a dream I had...I'm not sure when." Kim described the dream about the game show, humorous bits included, ending with the strange man with the dog in his arms. "Now I remember clearly where I saw him like that in real life. It was just at the moment that everything went to hell." That choice of phrase brought a few frowns to her audience.

Kim recounted the events that led to her being asked to go on the mission for the benefit of those who hadn't heard them before, sticking to the 'official' version as she did, though it was almost the complete truth. "I didn't take any mission gear, just my Kimmunicator. Global Justice was supposed to supply some, and Will Du was supposed to go pick it up. But when he heard the mission was just a pick-up, he said special gear was probably unnecessary. We had a minor argument about it, with no result. Then we had the shower incident, and a little shouting match. Then he said he was going to get the gear, come back and get me, and then we'd go make the pick-up." Kim looked at Betty Director, "But I didn't believe him. I don't know how good he is at fooling other people, but he's never had much success with me."

"So, I followed him. He went to the pick-up, found a package, took it, and a block away was suddenly snatched off the street by some men in an old van. I couldn't think of how to follow them, when my luck, or a little inherited Ron Factor," She smiled at Ron, "Kicked in, and a cab driver recognized me. And turned out to be an expert at trailing people, said he used to do it often in the 'old days'. He looked about fifty, but said he'd been a cab driver since he was eighteen, so he might have meant some real old days when he said that." She looked at Betty again, almost apologetically. "So you complementing me on trailing Will through a strange city was a bit misplaced, I just hung on and went along for the ride."

"When we reached the building where the prisoners were being kept, he helped me get hold of a disguise. But he also advised me to call for help, in case something happened to me. I had those orders not to, but right then, that cab driver seemed a whole lot smarter then Betty's Deputy." Betty nodded grimly at that. "So I called Wade, who called Betty, then called me back and told me that help was coming, to try and wait until it arrived. At that point, I still didn't know the bad guys had the six Navy people inside as well. But something told me I should take a look..." She paused, grinning wryly, "Or, I was just being me! In any event, I snuck closer. I spotted two lookouts, but I didn't really hide from them, I just pretended I was being sneaky in general. And then the little dog took an interest in me. I guess I smelled different then anyone he usually ran across."

"At first I was tempted to shoo him away, but then I thought: 'What's more innocent looking then a boy and his dog?'" She paused for reactions, but all she got was Ron muttering "That was one weird movie." She blinked and looked at him, as did the others. "What, Ron?"

"Oh! What? Sorry! Um, just saying that was a really weird movie, 'A Boy and his Dog.', that's all!" _"And I sure hope I don't have a dream based on that one if Kim's linked up to me!"_

Shego hid a smirk as she nodded. "Sure was. But it's not what we're here to hear, is it?"

Kim scowled, wondering what she was missing, but nodded and continued. "When I was out of sight of the lookouts, who were both on the upper floor, I crept up close along the wall below them, until I found a gap in some corrugated iron that made up part of the wall. And I heard someone yelling at Will, though I didn't know that at the time, though the fact he was speaking English suggested it." She paused, closing her eyes. Her lips moved briefly, then she began to speak aloud. "He said: 'Do you take me seriously? These people did not give me what I wanted, probably because they really don't have it! They are now useless to me, except to show you how serious I am!" Then I heard someone crying out in pain, and the man shouted again, 'I will prove how serious I am by cutting this man's throat, and then we will start to cut you up, and see if you know what we want!'" Kim was looking at Bernie, who's expression was far-away. Then she became aware of Kim's scrutiny, gave a faint smile, and nodded. "It's Okay, Kim, go ahead."

"So, that had me trying to think of some way to stop what was happening, or a way of distracting the men inside. Luckily I didn't try a head-on attack, there were sixteen men, and they had guns, though their leader didn't want them firing them off unnecessarily. Then, my little furry companion solved the problem, by dashing inside. So, I 'chased' after him. He began dodging through all the junk, and I chased him. The head bad guy started screaming for his men to catch me, but no shooting. So most of his men started chasing me around. Some of them seemed to be enjoying the chase, others not so much!"

"Then I made a wrong turn, and trapped myself. And that one man caught the dog. He was standing there, with a big smile on his face, talking to me. But in real life, unlike in the dream, I couldn't understand a word he was saying." Kim paused here, as if trying to decide how to proceed. "While this was going on, the Counter-Terrorist teams arrived. The chase had distracted the lookouts, I heard one or two of them calling down to their friends, maybe with advice on how to cut me off, or cheering them on, teasing, who knows? But it gave some of the CTs a chance to slip inside."

Now Kim took a deep breath before continuing. "Meanwhile, I was wondering how long it would be before the bad guys saw through my disguise. And then...explosions, shooting, death! No warning, no demands to surrender, just shooting! The man was hit in the back, one bullet came clear through him, I think it went right past my head, I'm not sure. He dropped the dog, which ran for cover. And then he fell. He had four or five holes in his back, there was a lot of blood....I saw two more of them die. Before the shooting started, one had been trying to calm his friend down, I think, the friend was one of the ones angry at having to chase me around. There were explosions too, from the doors being blown, but I couldn't see them from where I was."

Kim's eyes had widened, as if she was looking at the scene as she sat there. "Then one of the CTs was right in front of me, pointing his gun at me and screaming! I didn't understand a word, and I couldn't move anyway, I was just sort of numb. Then a man ran up and pushed his weapon up, and began talking to him rapidly, trying to calm him, I guess. Then the second man looked at me and asked if I was Kim Possible. He had a Welsh accent, but his face was covered. I started to nod, and then the dog came running out of his hiding place and ran for the hole in the wall. And the CT fired at him! He wasn't hit, I don't think, he didn't slow down or anything, just yelped and ran out. And something happened then, something inside me...." She trailed off, and Ron moved closer and wrapped an arm around her. She was silent for nearly a minute before resuming.

"The Welshman grabbed the CT and actually shook him, shouting in his face. Probably not about what he shot at, just that he was trigger-happy. The CT shook him off and stalked away, and I followed him. The Welshman was still talking to me, but I ignored him, I kept my eyes on the back of the CT, thinking of what I was about to do to him." Betty exchanged a worried glance with Bernie, and saw Shego was also scowling deeply. Tara, Bonnie, and Monique were tense with anticipation more then anything else, while Ron's eyes seemed suddenly moist.

"I wasn't thinking about it in terms of killing him, actually." Kim resumed quietly, "I was just thinking of using a particular blow, without concern for the consequences. My teachers taught them to me, so I'd recognize them, and know the best counters, but never to use on a human being. In fact, I felt ill practicing them on a dummy! But right then, I felt...nothing. At least, I don't recognize any feeling in my memory. I was just going to do it, that was all. I mean, when I get mad...well, you've all seen me mad, you know what I'm like. And that wasn't it." She paused again, and three people tried to talk at once.

"Kim, that's awful!" From Tara.

"KP, you never could have gone through with it! You were just..." from Ron, of course.

"But you didn't do it, did you, Kim..." from Betty Director.

Kim interrupted the latter two by holding up her hand. "I DON'T KNOW!" She snapped, color rising in her face, "I was distracted before I could! I don't know what would have happened, if I hadn't seen Bernie, and none of you know, either!" She put her hand over Ron's mouth to stifle the angry retort rising to his lips. "Let me finish, Ron, I need to tell it all, before we fight over it!" Ron scowled at the word 'fight', but subsided.

Kim took a moment to regain her composure before continuing. "We had reached the area where the prisoners had been held. Walking angrily, he'd opened some distance between us. I didn't hurry, but I'm not sure why, truthfully. I hadn't actually seen the prisoners up until then. And I didn't look now, I was focused on the CT, still ignoring the Welsh guy, who I think was figuring out that I wasn't myself. But then a stretcher team crossed my path, and briefly, my eyes followed it. And I saw Melinda Hunter being loaded on another stretcher, her arm...." Kim swallowed and shook her head, "But, it didn't really get through whatever was in my head! I started to turn back to the CT, but then I saw Bernie. I didn't immediately recognize her, it took a moment, but when I did, I forgot the CT and ran over to her."

Bernie now spoke up. "My own memories aren't as clear about that part, one of the CTs accidentally landed a stun grenade too close to us, and I was in a lot of pain at the time from my foot as well. I think I told your Mom that the leader threatened to shoot one of my shipmates, but that's wrong, he didn't want any shots fired unnecessarily. And I thought I was already on the stretcher being carried out, but that's wrong, too! Memories of a traumatic event can be very confusing, but..." She shrugged, "Sorry, just continue please, Kim."

Kim nodded slowly. "There was sort of this surreal...no, that's wrong! It's just that, seeing my old babysitter there, just like that, made no sense! I was kind of thinking that maybe it was a dream, you know? And I remember asking you what were you doing there, and you tried to reply, then you went limp, and suddenly, it was all _real_ to me! And I lost it, big time!"

"Did you hurt anybody?" Bonnie asked warily.

Kim shook her head. "No, I sort of charged a couple of people, but when they backed up, I switched targets. I was just _screaming_ at them, some words Mom wouldn't approve of, but I don't think I was very coherent. Then someone, probably the Welshman, knocked me out. Which was probably a good thing."

"I woke up in a bed in the British Ambassador's residence, wearing a set of his daughter's pajamas. That was more then a day later. But, until yesterday, my only memory was of a woman saying goodbye to me at the airport, and me thanking her for her trouble. But I didn't remember _who_ she was until yesterday, the Ambassador's wife. Some of my memories of what happened after the shooting are still missing, maybe they'll never come back, and I'll never know it all for sure." Betty Director suddenly felt apprehensive, and looked around to see Shego studying her speculatively. Keeping her face blank with an effort, she turned her attention back to Kim.

"Everything for the next week or so is kinda blurred, but I remember being distraught most of the time, partly over Bernie, but there was more that I can't remember. Then Will came to see me, maybe with good intentions, but he made things worse, I think." Ron rolled his eyes heavenwards, but before he could express his opinion of the usual result of Will being 'helpful', Betty spoke up.

"I'm afraid I asked him to visit you, and try and evaluate your mental state, Kim. Sorry if that backfired."

Kim shrugged. "No Big, he was just being Will. You see, he suggested I might seek psychiatric help, and I had my usual reaction to something like that. But only momentarily. Then I began to think, _maybe_...but he couldn't leave well enough alone." she hesitated, then continued grudgingly, "Well, I did ask if _he_ had sought such help, and he sort of puffed up and said of course not, because _he_ was a professional! He also implied that gender was involved in his not requiring aid." Ron, Shego and Betty all winced as they imagined Kim's reaction to such patronizing behavior.

"So, I decided right then that I did_ not_ have any problems at all! And me being me, I seem to have taken that too far, subconsciously! Maybe I already wanted to forget some things, but now...pride joined in, and I buried it all deep, and didn't deal with it. And I became less careful, and got hurt more often. Maybe I felt guilty after visiting Melinda Hunter. Maybe I was feeling guilty for avoiding Bernie! I don't know for sure, I'll have to let Doctor Cardien try and help me sort it all out." She trailed off and leaned into Ron as if hoping his body would absorb hers into it.

"Kim..." Bernie looked at Doctor Director as if giving her the option to speak first. But Betty gave her a 'go ahead' gesture. "Kim, you had a sequence of traumatic events occur that were outside any of your previous experiences. You can't blame yourself for your reactions!"

"I don't think you'd have hurt the man, Kim," Tara put in, "It would have probably been like when you run up behind your brothers, all mad and all, with your hands up ready to strangle them, but then you turn away at the last moment, because you know it's wrong to hurt them."

Kim blinked, then smiled faintly. "That would be far more reassuring if I hadn't turned Bonnie loose on my brothers today, Tara, but thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Oh, you're welcome, but that's an entirely different thing, Kim. Turning Bonnie loose on your brothers...well, you know she'd never really..." she grimaced slightly, "Well, I mean..." she noticed Bonnie's scowl, "Shutting up now."

Bonnie slowly shook her head, then looked at Kim. "Listen, if you came close to killing someone, Thank God it wasn't me! In your place, I mean! I'm fairly sure I'd have leapt on his back and tried to break his neck! At least, I think so, considering my temper. You know, I still wonder if I'll wake up some morning and think, 'Okay, I've been nice long enough to pay Kim back for saving my life, time to go back to making her life miserable!'" She looked at Kim. "I don't think you have to worry, if something like that happens again, God Forbid, you should handle it better."

Kim seemed dubious, but nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Bonnie! And if you decide to revert to 'Queen B'...actually, I have nothing to say about that!" Bonnie snorted, while Monique took her turn.

"Girlfriend, you have been through some weird shit, pardon my French. Some of the things you've told me about? I'm surprised you didn't go loco a whole lot sooner!" She grimaced, and held up both hands in a 'stop' gesture, "Wait! I'm not saying you went loco there, just that you're one of the strongest-willed people I know, if clothing sales and calls for help are not involved." Kim grinned faintly, "But even you have to have a breaking point. You just found it, the point beyond which you couldn't be yourself and still deal with the sitch. So your....self went away, and left behind....okay, psychiatry is not a career option for this girl, sorry!" She shrugged apologetically.

Now Betty spoke her piece."Kimberly, I've had to deal with a large number of agents who have suffered some kind of breakdown or other problems in the line of duty. This may or actually may not qualify me as a sort of expert. Emotional shutdown is not uncommon when traumatized, and often someone will follow through on their last emotional impulse when that happens. Yours was anger, if not rage, at the man who shot at the dog. And you nearly followed through on that impulse, before your concern for Bernie, or the incongruity of her presence, snapped you out of it." Ron scowled at Betty, while Kim just nodded.

"So, you think I would have killed that man?" She asked in a tone of resignation.

Betty shook her head. "Not definitely, Kim, you may have paused in the very act. I knew an agent who walked up behind another agent he was mad at, knife in hand, and stabbed him. But not fatally, and the attacking agent _knew_ how to do it, and had the perfect chance. But he knew it was wrong, and subconsciously altered his blow. You're dead set against killing, Kim, so it's possible, maybe probable, that you'd have done the same thing. The problem now is, you'll never be convinced of that, will you?"

A tear leaked out of the corner of Kim's eye as she shook her head. Ron, still obviously upset with Betty, kissed her lightly on the forehead. "You wouldn't have done it KP, I know you better than that!" She turned to look at his face, expression sad. "Better then I know myself? You know, that may just be true, Ron. But, you've never seen me in that kind of sitch before. It had gotten so out of hand...so out of my control...it's true, it was nothing like I'd seen before. But I had seen dead people, just not...just nothing like that." Her eyes were suddenly drawn to Shego as the woman stood up.

"Gotta go." Shego said flatly, not making eye contact, "Later, Princess." And she walked out without a glance left or right.

Ron stared after her. "That...was very un-Shegolike." Kim and Betty Director both nodded agreement.

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When Drakken saw Shego enter the lair two hours later, he was quite happy that his mother had retired for the night, because Shego was clearly drunk. Not because she was staggering, but the exact opposite. She was walking stiffly, holding herself to a steady pace by sheer force of will. She handled the crossing of the central chamber well enough, but Drakken moved to intercept her before she attempted the first step up towards her quarters.

She didn't actually attempt it, but stopped and stared at it, as if willing her foot to rise up and step forward. But her foot was smarter then her pickled brain. It stayed firmly on the ground. She muttered something vaguely profane, as Drakken took her arm. She looked at him owlishly. "Shego, what's the matter? You look like you've been crying?"

Shego looked down at her feet, then back up at Drakken again. "Ya know, Doctor D, I don't have a clue!" Her eyes rolled up into her head, and she collapsed into Drakken's arms. The scientist caught her, but dropped to his knees in the process. "I'm getting too old for this, Shego!" He protested, but his words fell on deaf, or drunk, ears. Drakken fumbled in one pocket and found a small remote. He used his thumb to press several buttons.

After a few minutes, a quiet clanking announced the arrival of a tall humanoid robot. It was the last of the 'real' Diablos, at it's full size, just under eight feet. It stopped short of Drakken and waited. With a grunt of effort, Drakken managed to get Shego up in his arms, and her out towards the robot. Having this routine programmed into it, the robot promptly took the woman from Drakken, then turned and ascended the steps to the passage leading to the living quarters.

Drakken flexed a sore arm muscle as he watched the robot disappear from view. "After all that, and there's the best use I can put you to!" He looked around the lair. "I live in a cave. A nice cave, but a cave! And my mother follows my criminal career on the Internet, and probably checks out all the banners!" He shook his head, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked towards his quarters.

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Okay, there it is. Hope it ended up meeting expectations. If it didn't, My own fault for making such a big deal out of it.

Next chapter: Politics, or City Management, Drakken style! (If things go according to plan.)

Please Read and Review.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

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On the Saturday after Kim's 'confession', Bernie drove the two of them to Denver to tape their interviews for the TV news special. Deciding to make a day of it when they were done, they did some shopping and sight-seeing before heading back, to arrive after dark with Kim dozing in the passenger seat. And found Ron snoring on the Possibles' sofa, the boy having been anxiously waiting for Kim's return practically all day.

A sleepy Kim went over to wake him as her parents and Bernie went into the kitchen to talk about the trip. The three emerged later to find the young couple snuggled together, both sound asleep. Deciding whether to wake them was a decision balanced between how peaceful they looked versus Ron's probable reactions to waking up like that, and then realizing where he and Kim were. In the end, Bernie roused and drove Ron home, while Anne escorted her happy but exhausted daughter up to her room.

Ron's satisfaction concerning Kim getting through the experience without any trauma or drama was undone when he found out his girlfriend had agreed to fly to Toronto, again with Bernie, to appear on a live talk show along with other people from the incident, to be interviewed by correspondents from the CBC, BBC, and one American network. He fretted through the next week, trying with his usual lack of success to hide his concern from Kim. She was very patient with him, not entering the 'I can take care of myself', or 'don't you trust me' modes as she had often done in the past if Ron pestered her excessively with his worries about her.

Though the live broadcast was at six AM Middleton time, Ron was up to watch it, with Rufus draped sleepily on the boy's shoulder. The show came on, the host spoke briefly, and then everyone was introduced. Ron felt a mix of compassion and anger when he saw Melinda Hunter, sitting with her daughter on her lap cradled in her remaining arm. Only one of the four men from the Navy party was present. The other one forced to retire had refused to appear, nor had he been interviewed for the TV special. Only one of the two men still enlisted had been available. The commentator did reveal the fact that the last man, who was still missing, was no longer believed to have committed suicide. In the end, Ron had nothing to worry about, Kim didn't even get the bulk of the questions, as he'd feared. Which he now admitted to himself had been slightly unrealistic, but when he worried about Kim, realism often took a back seat in his mind.

Melinda Hunter received a lot of questions concerning how she was coping. Her daughter began to fuss because she wanted her mother's undivided attention, so Kim took the little girl and held her in her own lap, bouncing her a little and talking to her quietly, smiling, being Kim. And Ron's thoughts drifted back to the dream of Kim's where she had seen herself in Melinda's place. _"Still haven't told KP I saw that, wonder if I should?" _He remembered how beautiful little 'Mini-Kim' had looked, and smiled. _"So hope our kids take after her, that baby was sooo cute!"_ Then he became suddenly self-conscious, looking quickly around to see if he was still alone, or as if someone could read his thoughts. For this he received a face full of day-old cheese breath as Rufus yawned on his shoulder.

Ron's Mom came downstairs as the show was ending. "How did she do, Ron?" She asked. All anxieties relieved, Ron had already shifted back to his normal attitude. "No worries, Mom, I knew KP could handle it!" he replied without looking up. Jean just rolled her eyes and continued to the kitchen.

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Kim had barely gotten home on Sunday afternoon before the first big snow of the season hit. By morning school was officially closed.

At the Stoppable home, three sets of thumbs danced across the buttons of a trio of controllers, causing well-animated zombies to suffer violent ends on the television screen. "Booyah!" Ron shouted as his score counter ticked over the 10,000 mark. On either side of him on the living room couch, both Felix Renton and Wade Load frowned in concentration as they raced to achieve the same goal next.

Hoping to throw Ron off his game enough to overtake him, Wade tried a conversational gambit. "So, Ron, why aren't you out in the snow with Kim?"

Ron's concentration didn't waver. "Kim's working on some extra-credit assignments to make up for lost time, get her grades up, you know...YES!" Ron's avatar on screen suddenly gained a new weapon for zombie killing, an absurdly large multi-barreled weapon system. Wade groaned, while Felix frowned as he tried desperately to catch up. "Grades up? With all that's happened, Kim's still on the Academic Honors list, she has to be maintaining at least an 'A' average, what's wrong with that?"

Both Ron and Wade rolled there eyes. "It's not an 'A Plus' average, Felix, that's what!" Wade answered rather testily. Ron winced a little, but kept his own focus on the game. Felix though was distracted enough for his avatar to suffer a messy demise. "Damn! Wade, what's eating you? Besides that enhanced zombie that just popped out of the vestry!"

"Ah, Man!" Wade tossed his controller into the air, then caught it and feigned slamming it down on the coffee table, "I hate those enhanced ones, they always hide them too well!" Ron paused the game, put down his controller, and stretched. "Wadester's bummed because Drakken offered his mom a job, and she took it." He informed Felix.

"Oh!" Felix nodded, "I guess that'd bum me out a bit too. What's the job?"

"Reviewing Health Services personnel and other medical types employed by the city." Ron replied, "Including school nurses, for instance. She asked Miss Barr to be her assistant, but expected her to say no, which she did. Though Mrs Load might be happy about that, because Bernie keeps calling her 'Chief', which seems to drive her crazy!"

"I'll say!" Wade added, "I called her that as a joke last night, and the look I got was pretty clear: Do that again, and I'm looking at a menu of my least favorite foods for at least a week! And my Mom never bluffs!" That drew a chuckle from Ron, "Join the club, when my Mom puts her foot down, it's never a joke!"

"I think my Mom is a little more tolerant, maybe because she's a single parent." Felix remarked. Then he looked at Wade. "I hear you really did a number on Kim's brothers, and Buzz and Reger as well."

Wade gave Ron a sharp look. "Felix, I've told Ron, Kim, and everyone else who asks the same thing, I did _not_ plan for things to work out the way they did, honestly! It was just a coincidence that Kim's Mom showed the website to the other parents just at that time! I had no idea they'd be doing that just then, I timed it for the time period when the site gets the most hits! Oh, and I sort of set something up I thought would keep the four guys away from their computers at that time, so they wouldn't find out what I did."

"And that was, specifically?" Felix asked.

Wade shrugged. "All I did was find out Reger had a webcam with lousy security. For all I know he broadcast stuff from his room, or let people watch him sometimes, who knows? Anyway, I was sitting at my computer, watching the four of them at Reger's planning their next story, throwing ideas around, etcetera. And some of them...well, they didn't really intend to use some of them, they were being silly, but still...and I was trying to think of a way to stop them, and suddenly realized I was actually looking at the solution! I recorded their little skull session, and set it up so it would be broadcast on their site, for all the visitors to see where the stories were actually coming from! And then I thought that since this was a non-violent and nondestructive way of dealing with those sites, why not see if I could do the same with some of the others? And I found out I could, with three of them, and did! I mean, show people the 'sources' for some of that crap.." Wade clapped his hand over his own mouth, "Sorry!"

"Yeah, but showing that one dude sitting in his underwear while talking to himself and making up stories might have been overkill." Ron commented. "Besides, that bit only proved to Reger's parents that he was involved, what got him in trouble were the ads some of the banners led to. He says he didn't know some were 'adult' sites, but...aw, never mind all that." He looked at each of his opponents in turn. "Ready to resume the game, or do you want to start over from the beginning?"

"Nah! I'll catch up to you, you'll see!" Felix replied. He was also the next person to speak a full sentence rather than a cry of triumph or despair, nearly ten minutes later. "So, you guys finally know what had Kim so rattled?"

Wade made a face, but kept his eyes on the screen. "Ron does, not me. And I'm not sure I want to hear about something that bothered Kim so badly, to tell the truth."

"I'm just glad she didn't remember earlier, like last spring, or early summer." Ron remarked flatly. Both Wade and Felix regarded him with curious frowns. "I can't really explain why I think this, but I'm pretty sure if she'd confided in me back then, I'd have given her the wrong advice as to how to deal with it. In fact, How I would've reacted might have messed her up worse." He held up both hands to forestall any reaction from the others. "I haven't figured it all out yet, and I'd like the chance to do it before you guys give me any advice, honestly! So, let's talk about something else right now, 'kay?"

His two companions exchanged shrugs behind Ron's back as he began to reset the game. Then Wade spoke up. "Okay, what else is there to talk about? Any good dreams lately?"

Ron winced. "Ah, Man!, almost rather talk about the other now! I really have to be careful what I watch these days, with some of the dreams they cause! Yesterday after I was done talking on the phone with Kim after she got back, I watched an Irwin Allen marathon, you don't want to hear what came of that!"

The other two both exchanged looks, then chorused, "Yes we do!" loudly enough to make Ron flinch. The boy looked at his two friends in turn. "You want to hear about being on an ocean liner, sailing into port, and having it capsize when a burning skyscraper falls over on it?"

The other two boys were silent a moment, both blinking, before Felix asked, "How did the skyscraper catch on fire?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Well, Duh! A lava bomb thrown into it by the erupting volcano set it on fire! But you know the guy who always causes the leader all the problems in those movies, criticize their plans, and whine about everything? He only did it once with Kim, trust me on that!"

Wade grinned. "I would've liked to have seen that scene! But Ron, do you guys have any idea if you're in control in these dreams? I mean, usually when you start consciously manipulating your own dreams, it wakes you up, or means you're waking up, whichever! But what about with you and Kim? You're both there in the dream, and from what I hear, a lot of the things you do, or the way you act in them, is pretty close to your real selves."

Ron only had time to shrug before Felix interrupted. "You mean in real life, Ron would have a 'harem'?" He asked with a smirk.

"Hold it!" Ron exclaimed, "The whole 'harem' sitch is a dead issue, all right?" He paused, then grinned, "At least since Kim had a dream of having _her _own harem!" He paused, frowning, "Or is it a harem when it's all guys?"

That distracted the other pair sufficiently for their avatars to be bloodily eaten alive(Wade) or impaled in a pit trap(Felix). After some muttering under their breaths on both their parts, Wade looked at Ron curiously. "And who was in this 'harem'."

Ron grinned as he put the game on pause again. "Well, _Moi, _of course!" He scowled slightly, "Brick Flagg and Josh Mankey..oh! Speaking of Brick, guess who the 'Harem Mistress' was?"

Felix dropped his jaw in an exaggerated expression of stupefaction. "Well, uh, gee, Ron, could it have been Bonnie?" Wade rolled his eyes while smiling widely.

Ron grimaced. "Okay, okay, telegraphed that one a bit! But the dream-ender was when Bonnie asked Kim if she wanted to see her new favorite, which kinda made me frown. Kim said yes, and they brought _Mister Barkin_ out, wearing..."

"WHOA! TMI, Ron, TMI!" Wade exclaimed, then picked his controller back up. "Let's get back to killing zombies, guys. I need something to distract me from the visuals I'm getting from that story."

"If you think it's bad imagining it, imagine sharing it!" Ron commented sourly. "And I heard Kim woke her parents up with her scream!"

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While the young had the day to frolic in the snow or otherwise entertain themselves, their elders were quite busy.

Doctor Drakken sat sipping hot cocoa in the small conference room adjacent to his office in City Hall, gazing out the windows that gave him a nice panoramic view of Middleton. The window faced East, to catch the morning light, though at the moment that was irrelevant. Everything was white as snow continued to fall, though it had slackened since the previous night. Drakken had a moment of wicked amusement as he remembered the looks he had got from some of the others who worked in the building, when he descended into his parking spot in his hovercraft. They didn't know how nervous flying in snow made him, he'd once flown into a water tower in a blizzard. Mind you, he _had _been ranting. And the tower was scheduled for demolition, anyway, so where was the harm?

The hall door to the room opened, and Jean Stoppable came in, a stack of folders in her arms. Loretta Load followed her in, holding two mugs of coffee, with Frugal Lucre entering last, carrying a bag with the 'Bueno Nacho' logo on it and his own coffee. Drakken eyed the bag critically, sniffing the air cautiously. "And what do you have there, Francis? Late breakfast?"

Lerman nodded enthusiastically as he sat down. "Yep! No time to eat earlier, was going over estimates and stuff!" He pulled a cylindrical object wrapped in colorful paper, and stained with grease, from the bag. "Ah, an El Diablo Breakfast Burrito!" He literally smacked his lips as Drakken blinked rapidly, not least because his eyes were starting to water. That problem became more acute as Lerman unwrapped his prize and took a large bite out of it. Reaching for a tissue to wipe his eyes, Drakken turned to a bemused Jean Stoppable. "And how does the Day Care center look today? Is your little girl getting along with the other children?"

Jean smiled and nodded. "Yes, Thanks for asking, Drew. She's getting along surprisingly well with the others, to be honest. And the center looks much better now that the young woman running it is getting _all_ of the funds allocated for it!" She shook her, head, face now serious. "Can you imagine that man pilfering money intended for a Day Care center here at City Hall? I'm so glad you got rid of him, Drew."

Drakken nodded as he pretended to be engrossed in a budget report. "That's all right, the piranha needed to be fed, anyway." When this comment went completely ignored by Loretta, and barely acknowledged by Jean courtesy of a raised eyebrow, Drakken snorted. "One would think being both evil, _and_ a politician, would give me more credibility! You can't imagine the cost involved in feeding them!"

While chewing a mouthful of food, Frugal Lucre commented thoughtfully, "I would think that keeping their water heated enough to keep them alive would be your most expensive problem with them."

Drakken's brow furrowed, then he squeezed his eyes shut briefly, shook his head, and looked at Loretta Load. "On to business, I think. How are you doing on your evaluation of the medical and health professionals we employ?"

"Well, I can tell you that all the ones I've checked out so far were fully qualified when they were first hired, but many are behind on some of their certifications, or not up to date on some developments." Mrs Load responded. She took a swallow of coffee, then tapped one folder separated from the stack Jean Stoppable had brought in. "Here's the list. Their most frequent reason is that the City didn't pay for some classes they might have been required to take. Though a few paid their own way, and Bernadette Barr helped a couple of others out, most couldn't afford to on their own. This is another pie Morgan Locke stuck his finger in, and embezzled money from."

"Do we have even a ball-park figure on how much he stole?" Jean Stoppable asked.

"Four million, one hundred eighty-seven thousand, six hundred and eighty-four dollars, and sixty-two cents, over a twelve year period since he was hired as Chief." Francis Lerman replied as he licked his fingertips clean. He noticed the astonished looks he was receiving. "What? I know my numbers, and this guy wasn't all that good at hiding his trail, let me tell you! He must have counted on his old friend Joe Geary looking the other way, or just not looking at all, let me tell you! And all of it went into his security company, 'LockeGuard'! A lot of it seems to have been to settle lawsuits out of court, and pay for damages."

"Mayor Geary was a lot of things, but he wasn't a crook, from what I've determined." Drakken commented, "But he did have the habit of trusting old friends a bit too much. But now that we're on the subject of money, Francis, what's your report on the Middleton Plaza project?"

Hastily gulping down the mouthful of coffee he'd just taken, Lerman gasped out, "Well, most of the contractors involved are being reasonable. I mean, they're overcharging us slightly, but not too much."

"'Most' of the contractors?"

Lerman nodded. "Yeah, most." Suddenly realizing more of an explanation was desired, "Oh! Right, you want to know who isn't in the 'most' part, right?" When Drakken just continued to stare at him, he bobbed his head, "Right! Well, one contractor is _really_ overcharging us, I mean, like two hundred, two hundred fifty percent. Wattford Electrical Services is the name of the company."

Jean nodded. "Used to be a family business, when Dean and I first moved to Middleton with Ronald. When Emmett Wattford retired, about three years ago, his sons took over. And I last heard they might be filing for Chapter 11. So, how can they bid for this job? And why charge so outrageously? Surely you're not saying their original bid was as high as you claim?"

"Actually, there was no bidding." Frugal replied, "The only other local company capable of handling a job this big is already over committed. And we want a local company to do this, right?"

"We'd prefer it, yes." Drakken replied, "We're already having to go outside the Tri-Cities for an electrical concern to handle some of the work we need done on the schools. Not to mention plumbing, and all the rest."

"Are we looking at any closings for repair work?" Loretta Load asked.

"Not whole schools, no, not until summer, anyway. But, Middleton High will have to have three classrooms closed temporarily while some work is done there. The same area where Frank Barr intended to stage his little accident, first to discredit Joe Geary, and later while trying to frame me."

"I cannot _believe_ that man couldn't be charged with some crime!" Loretta commented angrily, "Willing to endanger all those children for a political ploy!"

Drakken shook his head. "My Dear, if planning dastardly acts was sufficient for incarceration, I would have a sentence hanging over me so long they'd have to cryogenically freeze me to keep me alive long enough to serve it!" Now he frowned and looked at Lucre. "Tell me, did our departed Eastern friends have an interest in Wattford? Maybe that's why they're so arrogant."

Lucre looked puzzled for a moment. "Who? Oh, the Mob guys! Er, no, no connection to them that I know of. I think the company was bought recently, should I go see who purchased it? And whether they paid a good price?"

"The first, yes. The second, no....err, wait, make that yes, on second thought. But first, if all goes well, when would we expect construction to begin?"

"Well, if everything runs smoothly, and when does it ever? I mean, come on, contracts, negotiating, choosing colors...right! We'd probably be talking groundbreaking in late February."

Drakken frowned slightly. "Hmmm, with said ground solidly frozen, no doubt! Still, I should have something in the lair that would 'break ground' quite nicely...what?" Both Jean and Loretta were looking at him askance. He grinned, "What? I promise, nothing nuclear, or using the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer, honest!"

Another twenty minutes were spent discussing other matters. Lucre exited halfway through, and Loretta shortly thereafter. "Well, the City Comptroller should be thawed out by now, Let's hear what he has to say." Drakken said to Jean as they both gathered up their papers, "Then we'll talk to the Highway Commissioners about the traffic pattern changes the Plaza will cause. And then the Safety Commission, they say one Elementary school may have to be closed for repairs before the end of the school year, which will be a serious problem." He noticed Jean fidgeting a bit. "Is there a problem?"

She shrugged. "Well, not a problem, no. I just wondered if you'd heard from your friend yet."

"Oh." Drakken shook his head. "I haven't seen Shego since she came back to the lair drunk that night." He frowned. "She's been gone this long once before, but I was really responsible for that time. I don't understand what could have happened that made her drop out of sight like that. I've checked all her regular 'get away' places, and either she's not there, or the staff is lying to cover for her, but I doubt that. And yes, I'm worried. Shego and I---" The door to the room opened to admit Frugal Lucre. "Ah, let's speak of this later. Yes, Francis?"

"Hey, Chief! Found out who bought out Wattford. And get this, it's a German industrial concern! Why do you suppose a German company would buy an electrical contractor in Colorado?"

Drakken's mouth worked for a moment, but no sound emerged. Then he squeezed his eyes shut while massaging his brow with one hand. "Oh...Good...Grief!"

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"You'd think that since we braved the bitter elements to come visit her, we might deserve a little more attention, don't you?" Monique looked up at Bonnie's words. The brunette was reclining on Kim's bed, reading from a biology textbook. Monique herself had been engrossed in her sociology homework, but now she looked over to Kim's computer station, where the redhead was typing furiously, while chewing on her lip. Turning back towards Bonnie, Monique smiled tolerantly. "This is typical, actually, when she gets on one particular tack. I sometimes think I can do her hair in pigtails without her noticing sometimes."

"So not..." Kim muttered, but Monique couldn't tell if it was in response to her words or not. So Monique pulled herself up out of the comfortable beanbag chair and went over to peer over Kim's shoulder. Her brow knitted in consternation. "That's not the same assignment you were working on when we came in. Are you jumping back and forth?"

Kim shook her head, but continued typing. "Finished that one, this is another. I already knew what I was going to write for it, so there was no point in putting it off."

Monique shook her head, and returned to her seat. "Girlfriend, you have more than made up for the time you missed, someone might think you were saving up for time you expect to miss in the future." Being behind Kim, Monique didn't catch a significant facial twitch on the redhead's face in response to her words.

"Oh, by the way..." Bonnie said, sitting up and putting her book down, "We saw Hope and Gretchen Littler on the way here, they had a little car accident." That caused Kim to stop typing and turn to Bonnie, concern on her face. "Was anyone hurt?" she asked.

"Well, Gretchen looked like she had a bloody nose. I think they lost control while making a turn, and slid sideways into one of the poles holding up the traffic lights. Hope was driving, and looked like she was really crying, probably because it was her Mom's car. Oh, and Miss Barr was there, I think she stopped to help."

Kim scowled. "If the roads are that bad, I wonder why they were out?" Then she blushed. "Oh, wasn't thinking! You guys drove here just to visit, didn't you?"

"Roads aren't that bad, girlfriend. The one where the accident occurred was plowed, but I think Hope may have had only one hand on the steering wheel, and the other at her ear, if you get my drift." Monique replied.

"And as for me..." Bonnie added, "I basically had to get out of the house before I blew up at Connie. Especially since it would have backfired. She's all upset that Dad can't pay for the trip she planned for next summer, and she has to get a job to earn enough to go. He said he'd match whatever she earned, then changed it to whatever she saved, but he can't afford to pay for the whole thing right now. But she can't see that, can't realize that Dad has some money problems, both because of the economy, and what the campaign cost him. But, if _I_ said anything about how selfish she was being, I would have got it right back in my face!" She stopped to take a breath, then smiled apologetically to the other two girls. "Sorry, I just had to get that out!"

Kim smiled ruefully. "I wish it had been that easy for me! It's so puzzling, though, that I can now remember everything that happened on that day, but have so little memory of the following days. I mean, the idea that I was so traumatized that my mind just didn't 'record' anything for a day or two? That sounds kind of fishy." She sighed, "But, I have no better explanation. I don't remember the flight home on the GJ jet, the day I supposedly spent at the British Ambassador's residence before I flew home, or when I first saw Mom, Dad, and Ron after getting home! Weird not to remember those things, when now I can recall what I almost did."

"Which I still think you wouldn't have done, girlfriend!" Monique stated emphatically, "I think you would have snapped out of it, the real you wouldn't let...um, wait, I think I talked myself into a corner here...."

Kim shook her head. "But it wasn't me, Mon. The 'real' Kim Possible had crawled into a compartment in the back of my mind and shut the door behind her. She only came back out because she saw someone she knew." Kim's lips twitched slightly. "How's my metaphor?"

Bonnie snorted. "Well, I've heard better! Next question: are you dealing with it?"

"Yeah, one day at a time. And don't groan, I'm finding that to be literally true." Kim turned back to her computer, and stretched, arching her back, before beginning to type again. "I'll be done with this in ten minutes, tops, and we can find something more interesting to do. We also have to check on the Tweebs, make sure they're doing their proper penance."

"Well, if they're not..." Bonnie held up a bottle of nail polish, "A little incentive can be applied..."

Monique rolled her eyes. "You know, as unlikely as it may seem now, those two might just grow up and have girlfriends some day, maybe even wives.." she ignored a snort from Kim, "And you don't want the poor girls to have to do all their make-up and painting out of sight to avoid traumatizing those two, do you?"

Bonnie gazed at Monique briefly as she considered the question. Then she nodded, "I can live with that, yeah!"

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Bernadette Barr walked through the utility room door of her home and closed it behind her, shutting out the rising wind and renewed snowfall. She stood still for a moment, just enjoying the relative warmth of the room. The light was on, and apparently both the washer and dryer had recently been on as well. For which the soaked young woman was immensely grateful. Her feet squished in her boots as she stepped over to the folding table by one wall. She was thankful to note several clean towels stacked on one end as she pulled a four-legged stool out from under the table.

Peeling off her gloves, she flexed her partially numb fingers experimentally, then began unfastening her coat. The bottom half was sodden, and she eyed it critically as she hung it up on a wall peg. She then emptied her pockets, wincing at a few ruined items. Taking one of the towels, she laid it over the stool's seat, then undid her jeans and pushed them and her underwear down off her hips. She then sat on the stool, only to jump right up again from contact with her cold, wet shirttail. Clearing that out of the way, she sat again, and pulled her left foot up to work on removing her boot.

"What the heck happened to you?" Bernie looked up to see Shego in the doorway, an empty laundry basket in her hands. She shrugged. "Had a little accident at an accident, that's all. Got a little wet."

One of Shego's eyebrows rose as she eyed her critically. "A little wet?" She set the basket on top of the washer, then knelt down and took hold of Bernie's right boot, pulling the zipper down with a little effort. Pulling it off, the sock came with it, and Shego frowned at the sight of the pale, wrinkled look of the foot revealed. "And how long were you standing around in wet boots, may I ask?"

Bernie sighed. "Only as long as I had to. Could you do me a favor, and get my robe, and my crutch? I just hope there wasn't any salt in that slush, or I could have a problem with this." She tapped her prosthetic foot.

Shego nodded and stood up. "Sure, I'll be right back."

By the time she returned with the requested items, Bernie had her wet clothes off and tossed in the appropriate hampers, and had another towel draped loosely around her while she massaged her left calf vigorously. Shego set the crutch next to the girl, then draped the robe around her shoulders. "Once again, what happened?" She asked as she knelt again and began to work on Bernie's flesh-and-blood foot. Bernie hissed at the pins and needles sensation that came to life from Shego's ministrations.

"Well, I stopped to see if I could help out at an accident, until the Rescue Squad arrived. And I tried to squat down in the passenger side doorway while holding the hand of a teenage girl with a possible broken nose. And my foot slipped. Sat down in the slush, legs slid under the car, took a bit of thrashing to get back up again."

"Hm." Shego reached up and pulled Bernie's towel down on her right side. "Rib okay?"

Bernie grabbed the towel and pulled it back up. "It's fine, fully healed, or close enough. Did just miss hitting a fire hydrant with my elbow, though. Heh, what were you doing, trying to get another look at my 'rack'?"

Shego smirked, but didn't answer. Her face grew a good deal more serious as she continued to massage Bernie's foot. "You know, this is serious here, you really should have gotten somewhere warm and dried this earlier."

"I know, I know." She looked at Shego speculatively. "Did you ever take care of kids, Shego? Babysit, maybe?"

That question made Shego squirm a bit. "Not exactly...I took care of the twins pretty much from the time they were six months old, until I left Team Go."

When Shego showed no inclination to continue, Bernie decided not to pry. She instead dealt with her robe, which kept slipping off one shoulder or the other as she massaged her leg back to it's normal color. Ditching the towel, she slipped her arms into the robe's sleeves and belted it up. Then she remembered something. "Oh, mentioning the 'rack' comment reminds me, when did you ever see Kim naked?"

Shego snorted. "Three times, actually, one of which you'll _never_ hear me speak of! A second time was sharing a decontamination shower, not one of my favorite memories, either! The third time she was chasing me through a health club, she lost me in a turn, and I ambushed her, snatched her towel off, and shoved her in the pool. Only some women as witnesses, it would have been better for a little male presence to up the embarrassment quotient!"

Bernie gave her a disapproving glare. "And why was Kim chasing you around a Health club in a towel?"

"Because I stole her clothes from the locker room?" Shego replied, smirking. Seeing that wasn't going to satisfy Bernie, she shrugged. "There's an information broker known as 'Big Bear'. You can actually spell that b,e,a,r; or b,a,r,e. He's been in the business a very long time, and now conducts his business most of the year out of a nudist resort down south. In the colder months, he moves to the health club. He's part owner of both, and justifiably paranoid about both hidden microphones, and hidden weapons, with the scars to show for the latter. And basically, if you want to meet him, you go _au naturel_."

Bernie's look shifted to disbelief. "You are _not_ going to tell me that Kim Possible..." Shego stopped her by waving her hands vigorously and shaking her head.

"No, no, no! He made an exception for the Princess, but just because she's underage. They wore towels for her meet with him. Anyway, his wife was there as chaperon. With a Glock hidden where she could get it real fast. At the resort, he always had a quartet of lovely attack dogs to protect him. Well, me and Kimmie both went to see him about the same thing, but I got there first. Heard Kim's voice coming down the hall as I was leaving, hid, let her pass, then headed for the locker room and snatched her clothes, to slow her down."

"How'd you know which locker was hers?"

Shego shook her head. "Sorry, keeping that secret! Anyway, she came back before I could get clear, because Big Bear apparently got straight to business with her. The chase ensued, her fall into the pool...and then the wheel of karma turned on me." She shook her head sadly. "Got the Princess good, then was running away, not paying attention to what was in front of me. Turned a corner while still looking back, should have noticed the ground shaking...the heavyweight weight-loss class was coming the other way, jogging. I equate it to getting caught in a buffalo stampede! One of them caught me flush on the chin with a hand weight, I went down, the front rank tried to stop...well, you get the picture, 'Mount Jenny Craig' with me underneath!" Bernie was shaking her head with a mildly disbelieving smile on her face. "No, it's true! At least four 'double-hefties' were piled on top of me! All I could do to resist the temptation to light up! Not that that would have been very smart, all I needed was them panicking on top of me!"

Bernie's shoulders were shaking now, but a sudden violent sneeze ended her laughter. She reached up to feel her forehead, but Shego pushed her hand away, and started to do it instead, before grimacing. "Damn, forgot! I can't feel a fever anymore!" She took Bernie's crutch and held it out to her. "Let's get you into bed! By the way, did this happen on your way to Kimmie's, or coming home?"

Standing up, Bernie's look soured. "On the way there, didn't see Kim. And I don't need to go to bed, just let me get some warm clothes on, or maybe a hot bath, and besides it's my turn to cook dinner!"

"Sorry, can't have you getting sick! You're the household breadwinner, after all!" Bernie tried to stay sour, but couldn't help a grin. "On that subject, what's your official status today?" She asked the thief.

Shego shrugged. "Back to 'hiding', I think. From what, and why, I still couldn't say! But, I'm definitely hiding from something here. In my case though, it's not a repressed memory. Tell me, what was it like, babysitting Kimmie?" They'd reached the bedroom, and Bernie steered deliberately away from the bed to drop into an easy chair instead. Shego rolled her eyes, and stood looking down on her, arms crossed.

Bernie gave her a tired grin before replying, "Oh, you mean after we got past the 'I was an intruder into her well-ordered little life, her, mother, father, one friend, and reluctantly, two brothers' phase?" Bernie smiled fondly, "She was probably the best-behaved child I ever babysat, to be honest. Mind you, babysitting her generally meant looking after the twins, too, so I understand a little of what you dealt with. _Before_ we got past that 'phase', though, she was a little terror, but she was doing it deliberately to drive me off."

"Two weeks after Mrs Waring...she was the only adult at the orphanage I ever liked...got me involved in looking after the boys, I'd gone from 'no way' to insisting on going everywhere with them, even to the pediatrician." Shego smirked. "Stopped me from ever complaining about holding a thermometer in my _mouth_, I can tell you that! But, how did you break the ice with Kim?"

"I called her 'Kimpetuous'." Bernie smiled fondly in reminiscence, "And she got mad, _'that isn't my name!'._ So, I asked her if she knew what 'possible' meant, and 'impossible', then explained them to her. After thinking it over, she asked me what 'impetuous' meant, and I told her. And we went from there. I mean, she was only eight years old, but...'Kimpressionable', 'Kimpractical', I tried to come up with a new one each time. Had it's funny side, though. One time, just after I had arrived, Mister Possible was trying to tie a bow tie in the mirror, and Mrs Possible asked me if I was teaching Kim 'words'. Well, Kim had used 'implacable', of all things, in a sentence at school, and correctly, too. But apparently Mister Possible hadn't heard that, so...well, Mrs Possible usually does tie bow knots for him, anyway! And we did manage to clear things up that I wasn't teaching her the 'wrong' words." Bernie' smile faded as she looked at Shego. "And when did you first see violence like the kind Kim did? And how did you deal with it?"

Briefly taken aback by the topic switch, Shego frowned, chewing her lip. "Short version is all you'll get. Mexico, two weeks after leaving Team Go and Go City. Eighteen years old, young and feeling indestructible. Bit of a cliché, but I was in a _cantina_ when two groups involved in the drug trade decided to shoot it out. No exaggeration to say a hundred rounds were fired off in that little space. Seven dead, winners left no survivors, and didn't give a crap about witnesses. How did I deal with it?" She paused, shaking her head sadly. "Went to Mazatlan, found a rich kid with his own bungalow, and shacked up with him for a week! And his girlfriend for two days as well! Young and dumb, that was me. Girlfriend ruined everything one morning, when she tried to assert her territorial dominance. I left the Bungalow still standing, but only just! No personal injury to either of them, though."

Silence fell as Shego stood there, lost in the memory, and Bernie remained silent. Then Shego walked over to the chest of drawers and opened the drawer containing Bernie's nightwear. "Need help getting into your jammies?" She asked.

Bernie grimaced. "Shego, I have to take care of my foot! I should take my turn with the cooking! I can't go to bed this early!"

Shego tsked. "Once again, the medical professional proves the worst patient! Why am I surprised? Oh Wait, I'm not!" She took a set of pajamas from the drawer and walked over to Bernie. "Now, am I going to have to put these on you? I mean, if our relationship was different, that might be fun..." She frowned, "No wait, then I wouldn't be putting them on you at all! But, since we're just friends...um, yeah...I mean, using force wouldn't be inappropriate, would it?" The lameness of her own last words made her wince.

Bernie shook her head. "Does considering me a 'friend' bother you that much?"

Shego's face distorted in a serious frown. "A year ago, it would have seriously tweaked me. I know that for a fact! But no, not today. And that's part of my problem, I swear my attitudes are changing, but not normally. You know what freaked me out the most the night we listened to Kimmie's tale? A sudden impulse to give her a hug! I mean, that's normal, but my relationship with Kim _is not normal!_" She paused to regain a modicum of control, but then blurted out "It certainly doesn't include _hugs!"_ She stood there after her outburst, lost for words. Bernie reached out and took the pajamas from her, and began donning the bottoms.

Shego went over to the bed and sat down on it. "I don't like change all that much, and lately there have been far too many!" She held her hand up, and it was suddenly surrounded by a shimmering green aura. Bernie tensed, but only out of concern for Shego. But except for a few beads of sweat appearing on her forehead, she seemed to be all right. "Shego, all you okay? Does that hurt at all?"

The pale woman shook her head. "Never mind that! Look at this! Doesn't it look different...oh, what am I saying, you haven't really seen me fully lit up, have you?" One of her eyes twitched. "This isn't the way it looked before! It's smooth, controlled! The way it used to flare, full of black spots was one reason I was secretly afraid of it, the fact it _looked_ like it was out of control! But now...it looks beautiful, it looks 'safe'!" She smirked, "At least, as far as I'm concerned!"

Bernie had shucked her robe off to put her top on as she listened. "Know why your powers are changing? Is it reflective of your new attitude?"

Shego became serious again. "Doctor D doesn't think this change of attitude is entirely 'natural'. And I trust his instincts on things like this, unfortunately." Seeing Bernie's quizzical look, she explained, "It means someone may have messed with my mind, or has been, for some time. And it calls into question so many things, it...it just scares me to doubt myself."

Bernie belted her robe shut, then took her crutch and stood up. "Come on, roomie, let's go get supper started, need to do something to get your mind off this for now." She headed out of the room.

Behind her, Shego shrugged and stood up. Then a look of mild shock crossed her features, chased away by a scowl. "Hey! You're supposed to be getting into bed!" She stomped out of the room in pursuit.

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"Vy are you calling me!" Dementor's shout coming from the receiver made Drakken move the phone farther from his ear, before he grumbled and switched the call to the speaker. "I'm calling you to find out why Demenz Industrial Conglomerate of Konigsberg has bought an electrical firm in Colorado!" Drakken snapped. Under his breath, he added "And not commenting on the initials, don't want to have to explain the joke to your Teutonic self!"

"Und how vould I know? _Mein _sister runs the business now, remember? I have no idea vat the day-to-day operations are, I am too busy trying to get my visa reinstated to travel to the United States!" Dementor ranted.

Drakken's eyebrows rose. "Your visa has been canceled? Whyever for?"

A moment's pause followed. "Vyever? Is dat a word? Ach! No matter, you are vasting my time!" A click sounded, probably a pale reflection of the sound actually generated when Dementor hung up.

"Hmph! How rude!" Drakken sat quietly for a few minutes, thinking. A knock on his door interrupted his reverie, as Jean Stoppable entered. "You wanted to see me, Drew? I've dealt with the Highway Commission, by the way, they approve of the changes in the local traffic pattern. IN fact, they're quite happy, and were hard-pressed to hide it! Have to find out why, I suppose."

Drakken nodded. "Good, good! What I wanted to talk about was this..." He took some papers from his top desk drawer and handed them to Jean. She sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk and began reading. Soon, a frown appeared on her face.

"Drew, this is a measure to strike the ordinance from the books that allowed your election in the first place! IN fact, if this is passed, you'll have to vacate the office immediately!" She looked at Drakken with a worried look on her face.

"I'm aware of that, Jean." He held his hand up to forestall her next words. "I'm not suggesting this measure be taken to the City Council just yet, my dear, I just want it in proper order when it _is_ submitted. Truthfully, I'm surprised no one has already submitted something similar! Just review it, and see if it's adequate. Not quite ready to see with what enthusiasm it's received with, just yet!" Drakken smiled to show he wasn't serious, or perhaps just not _too_ serious.

Then another knock came on the door, and Frugal Lucre came in. "Hey boss!" He exclaimed without preamble, "That Electrical company just dropped their price! They're being _waaay_ more reasonable now!"

Drakken leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers on his chest. "Really? Curiouser and Curiouser!"

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Well, ending this here, for the time being. Jumping to the holidays next chapter. I know not much happened this time, will try to be more engrossing next chapter.

For now, please Read and Review.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

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High above the Atlantic Ocean a private jet flew northwestwards towards it's destination in the United States. It had super-efficient engines that might have made it a target for some oil companies if they found out how little fuel it expended on the flight from Capetown, South Africa to Middleton, Colorado. The engines were mostly the brainchild of one Wade Load, with a healthy assist from Felix Renton, which was why the service that operated them were more than willing to make one available to the plane's current passengers whenever it was feasible.

Kim and Ron snuggled together on a bench seat in the main cabin, both happily exhausted. And a bit more. Kim wrinkled her nose, then twisted her head enough to look Ron in the face. "Sorry I'm a bit stinky, Ron."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Kim, you just beat up six grown men in desert heat! You'd have to expect a little 'stinkiness'! I only had to deal with two guys, in an air-conditioned shelter!"

Kim grinned. "An _inflatable, _air-conditioned shelter, you mean!" She teased him.

"Yeah, yeah, waiting for the guy to draw that hidden knife just so I could see the look on his face when I kicked it out of his hand was a _bad_ idea, I know! Still, I did get to beat the main bad guy this time, so that makes up for it, kinda."

Kim snorted. "Yeah, a 'Big Game' hunter who takes a gun bearer and six beaters to hunt a _rabbit_?" She commented derisively, then switched to a melodramatic tone, "Oh, where's Monkeyfist or Dementor when you need validation that you are, indeed, a 'world-saving teen heroine'." She raised her forearm across her forehead as she delivered the line with great angst.

"Shoulda capitalized the the last four words, KP." Ron replied, then switched to a snooty tone, "And it was a 'Riverine Rabbit', or Bushman's Hare, an endangered species that he was stalking. As to all the firepower, 'one never knows what a wily beast is capable of on it's own turf!'. That's a direct quote, delivered while you were outside beating the beaters."

Kim groaned. "I _knew_ that was coming, in one form or another! And I suppose Wade will have to hit me with his own version sooner or later! I mean, can't you show the poor recovering heroine some mercy?"

"Six grown men, thoroughly subdued, need I say anything more regarding the 'poor recovering heroine' bit?" Ron responded with a grin. "Feel good?"

Kim considered the question for a moment. "Well, I feel good about being back in shape. But the violence doesn't feel the same. I mean, I used to get a rush from the fighting, but this time, I didn't allow it. I didn't consciously suppress it, it's just that I did it all methodically, kind of." She shook her head, "Enough! No more introspection! I just want to get some sleep before we get home, that work for you?"

Ron nodded contentedly. "Works for me, KP." He looked towards the door to the aft cabin, then waggled his eyebrows. "Want to try out the bed, _mon_ KP?"

Kim thumped him in the ribs as she stood up, but with a smile. "That was funny the first six times, Ron, somewhat annoying the next six, then..." Ron stopped her by raising both hands and bowing his head. "I give, I give! Running a good thing into the ground is a character flaw of mine, as you well know!"

Kim took him by the chin and lifted his head, then kissed him lightly. "I love your flaws, Ron Stoppable!" Then she grinned mischievously, "Well, most of them, anyway!" Then she turned and strolled towards the rear cabin, consciously or not putting a very interesting sway to her hips. But Ron knew from experience it might be a sign of fatigue. He started after her.

"Oh, KP? Know what the guy said when I asked if he knew the rabbits were endangered? He said, 'Of course I know, you fool! That's why I'm getting my trophy now, before there are none left!'" Ron shook his head, "Sometimes real-life villains are even more pathetic then the ones I make up!"

Once in the rear cabin, the pair undressed down to their underwear, then climbed into the queen size bed, and snuggled together. "If the guys at school knew how many times I've been with you like this, and never done more then kiss you, they'd think I was nuts, or gay."

Kim smiled, this wasn't the first time _that_ observation had been made, either. And her response was the same. "_If_ the 'guys' found out we'd been together like this _at all_, their opinions of you would be the least of your concerns!" She said with mock severity.

"Oh, yeah, right." Ron responded, "Since guys can't keep a secret any better then girls, the story would get around, and to your dad, and...I forget what he said the last time he warned me. Something about...never mind!"

Curiosity lost out to fatigue. "You know he'd never really do any permanent harm to you, Ron." Kim replied through a yawn. No reply came, and she saw that Ron had already dropped off. _"That's my Ron!"_ She laid her head on his chest and dropped off herself.

After a few minutes, a faint smile appeared on Ron's face. Moment's later, Kim twitched and began to scowl. Then her eyes popped open and she sat up abruptly, and directed a sleepy glare at her boyfriend. "How can boys like that sort of thing?" She muttered. Throwing off the covers, she went back into the main cabin, and located her pack. Opening one of the smaller side pockets, she withdrew a small blue device shaped somewhat like a cellphone. She opened it up and stared at it briefly, studying the two rows of three buttons each running down it's center. Then she pushed three of them in sequence, folded it back up, and returned it to her pack. Yawning mightily, she went back to the rear cabin and got back into bed, again snuggling close to Ron.

About ten minutes later, she began to perspire noticeably. She jerked away from Ron and curled up on her side facing away from him. Her head, then her feet jerked spasmodically, and she muttered in her sleep. Ron remained oblivious, a large smile now plastered across his sleeping face. Then Kim suddenly flung herself clean out of the bed, and woke up crouched on all fours, looking around frantically for a moment. Then she closed her eyes and relaxed, dropping down and pressing her forehead into the carpeting.

After a couple of minutes, she sat back on her haunches, looking at Ron, still sound asleep. _"Still the heavy sleeper! Even Sensei couldn't break him of that, and he tried _real_ hard, according to Ron." _A fond smile crossed her face, but then she looked at the cabin door, and considered...then she shook her head, and crawled back into the bed. After drifting off to sleep, it was nearly forty minutes before another nightmare came to her...

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"Listen, it's a simple question, would you like to get away from the snow and ice of Middleton for a couple of days during the holidays?" Shego sounded more then a bit exasperated over the connection. Bernie hoped the door was really as soundproof as she hoped, since she had the speaker phone on as she did inventory of the supplies in the nurse's office. "More allergy kits, check!" She muttered before replying to Shego aloud, "Is there a reason for the sudden invitation? Because I _am_ required to spend Christmas and, pray for me, New Year's with the family."

"Doy! Listen, Doctor D gave me some news I need to think over, and I think better in a nice, warm climate! And I'm talking _between_ the holidays, I have to run the Christmas Party in Go City, and don't intend to miss New Year's if I can help it!" Bernie could practically hear the smirk accompanying the last part.

Voice laden with suspicion, Bernie asked, "Did you set something up to get Kim to the party? A party full of villains?"

"Aw, I just _have_ to make sure Kimmie sees Junior done up as the New Year! The sight of him in a diaper is one she'll _never _get out of her brain!" Shego paused, "What are you doing now, that requires putting me on speaker?"

"Inventory. And didn't Kim see Junior in a speedo once?" Bernie noted the need for more eye wash solution.

"_So _not the same thing! And didn't you just do inventory?"

"Yeah, but we had a small lab accident here, and some of my supplies were depleted."

There was a thoughtful pause before Shego asked, "This may be an obvious conclusion, but were the Possible twins involved?"

Bernie made a face. "Yeah, but it wasn't all their fault. Mister Gonzalez, the new science teacher, brought some homemade soup to school, in a flask that looked just like the one Tim and Jim had their rocket fuel in. Let's just say their ignition system did not interact well with _jalapeños_, and leave it at that, shall we?"

Dead silence followed for a moment, before Shego replied, "Better then finding out how the teacher's stomach acid interacted with rocket fuel! And you have reservations about getting out of this town for a couple of days?"

Bernie's response was preceded by a deep sigh. "Are you going to share this news that Doctor D gave you?"

Shego hesitated significantly before replying. "I might, I'm not sure I want to share. But yeah, maybe I will."

Bernie thought it over for a minute, then nodded, even aware that Shego couldn't see it. "All right, but my wardrobe is probably way out of date, not sure what to pack."

"Hell, that's not a problem!" Shego paused, and Bernie heard the smirk return, "IN fact, since neither of us is broke, let's do this: No luggage, we go in what we're wearing, and buy what we need there, everything appropriate for the locale."

Now Bernie sincerely wished she could see the thief's expression. Her own eyebrows had risen, a wary look appearing on her own visage. "Everything? Well, clothes, maybe, but other things?"

"Okay, okay, a small bag for that kind of stuff...actually, I'd need something too, good point! But, are you agreeing to come?" One thing Bernie definitely noticed is Shego wasn't hiding her hope that Bernie would accept. After a moment's hesitation, she replied, "Okay, for two or three days, between the holidays. But where are we going?"

"That's my secret, you'll know when we get there." Shego replied. Bernie rolled her eyes. _"How did I know..."_

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"In retrospect I feel I am to blame for not warning Mister Gonzalez about the Possible twins, nor questioning his request to take the class out of doors for a 'little fresh air and applied science.'" Steve Barkin stood at parade rest in front of Drakken's desk in the Mayor's office, though the man in question was actually at the windows looking out at sunlight reflecting off the snow, the first sign of such light in four days.

Drakken sighed quietly and turned around. "Well, the good news is we won't have to clear snow from that side of the building, and the fumes that leaked into the basement have dealt with the vermin problems, at least until spring. The building engineer's HAZMAT suit is still under warranty, I trust?" The scientist, showing a good deal of blue in his complexion due to a lack of recent direct sunlight, idly studied a stack of papers on his desk.

"It certainly is, I ascertained that fact, personally!" Barkin replied, and Drakken had trouble hiding his shock that his quip had been taken so literally. Then Barkin shifted topics. "I'm sorry to keep the post of School Superintendent vacant, Mister Mayor, but I didn't feel right about vacating my current position in mid year, I promise that as soon as graduation is over, I will occupy the office." He fidgeted nervously before adding, "If you intend to keep the opening that long?"

Drakken nodded emphatically. "Yes, yes, the job will be yours, Steven. Jean is filling in nicely when she can. At the moment, though, school matters are a serious concern here, which makes them the focus of a great deal of my own efforts, hence this meeting today."

Barkin nodded, then showed all the signs of beginning a long dissertation. But he was prevented from doing so by the buzz of Drakken's intercom. Drakken pressed a key. "Yes?"

"Everyone is assembled in the conference room, Mister Mayor." Came his secretary's voice.

"Very well." Drakken replied, then gestured for Steve Barkin to precede him through the door into the conference room. This time, the room was quite crowded. Frugal Lucre was there, as well as Jean Stoppable. Next to them sat the Mayors of Upperton and Lowerton, as well as the Superintendents of both cities' school districts. Another man who seemed to be a stranger to almost everyone sat next to Drakken's seat. Lastly, and surprisingly, Joe Geary and Bennett Rockwaller sat at the table, both looking fidgety and distracted.

Drakken took his seat, while Barkin stood at parade rest near the door to the hallway. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for all coming here today." Drakken began, "I'll get straight to the point. We're here to discuss the re-merging of the Upperton, Middleton, and Lowerton school districts into a single entity again, the Tri-Cities district." Only Geary and Rockwaller seemed truly surprised by the announcement, then both scowled suspiciously. Drew did note a slight smirk of satisfaction from Greer, the Upperton school Superintendent._ "And that's no surprise, I wonder how quickly I can erase that? Mustn't rush things, though."_

Herbert Fenwise, Mayor of Upperton, responded first. "Well, can't say that's a great surprise, considering who you invited, Mayor Lipsky." He rather pointedly glanced at the stranger, clearly expecting his presence to be explained.

"Oh, I didn't expect to surprise anyone at all. The only person who probably is surprised is only surprised because I'm the only candidate he didn't prime to make this suggestion." Greer's smirk vanished. "I would venture to suggest that both my erstwhile opponents," Drew nodded towards Geary and Rockwaller, "As well as those involved in the Lowerton elections," He now indicated Amanda Tweets, the new Mayor of Lowerton, "All received their inspirations for this notion from friends or business acquaintances who live or work in Upperton."

"Well..." Bennett Rockwaller hesitantly, before meeting Joe Geary's suspicious expression, at which point his voice firmed up, "Yes, as a matter of fact, it was a colleague of mine who lives there who mentioned it while we were lunching." Geary nodded while fixing his stare on Mayor Fenwise, who seemed puzzled. Tweets also nodded in agreement.

"I thought as much! But before discussing the reason that's relevant, let's discuss the reasons why this move would be fiscally sound. According to my financial advisor," He nodded to Lucre, who practically preened, "The current setup is financially inefficient in each district." Fenwise cleared his throat noisily, but Drakken ignored him, "And with budget cutbacks, all three districts may have to drop some services. Most importantly, all three may have to discontinue summer school altogether. Inadequate numbers of student proportionate to the costs involved is one problem, I believe. However, if we pool our resources there, we can operate a summer school system sufficient for the students' needs that is financially sound."

"I'm not at all sure that that reasoning applies to Upperton at all," Fenwise interjected, becoming frustrated at being ignored, "We _do _have some special resources of our own, you know!" He then indicated Lucre, "Not to mention the nature of your 'advice'." He added rudely. Then he pointed at the stranger. "And just who, may I ask, is that?"

"Oh, pardon my manners!" Drakken replied with a touch of humor, "Let me introduce Mister John Olson, from the State Attorney General's office." That surprised everyone but Jean Stoppable and Lucre, but even he fidgeted nervously at the announcement. Superintendent Greer began to look extremely nervous.

Somewhat unsettled by the response to his question, it took a moment before Fenwise could stammer out, "A—and w—what is the purpose of his presence?"

"Well, I didn't want to barge ahead to that point, but if you insist." Drakken made a show of moving some papers from the stack in front of him to one side. "It's about those 'special resources' of yours, actually." The visible discomfort level in both Upperton representatives increased noticeably. "You see, those resources were the primary reason for the original dissolution of the Tri-Cities District. And if there have been any attempts to re-form it since, they were probably the greatest sticking point."

Fenwise nodded, 'Y—yes, Gunnar Johansen specifically declared that he wished those funds to be used only on schools in the Upperton area. We receive an annual stipend from the Johansen Trust, to use accordingly."

Drakken nodded. He pretended to refer to his notes. "Yes, I understood that. But tell me, are you authorized to invest funds from the trust itself?" Greer started, and looked nervously around, "Or borrow against the funds in advance?" Fenwise developed a stutter in his left eye, "Or, without informing the Upperton City Council or other interested parties, begin accepting monies from a foreign source to make up for sudden deficiencies?" Both men's antiperspirants gave up the ghost at this point, and Mayors Tweets wrinkled her nose.

Drakken continued in a mild tone. "Now, this occurred basically because the left hand.." he indicated Greer, "And the right hand.." Fenwise, "Didn't know what the other was doing. The left hand was investing, with a company called 'Perwheel Investments Group', the latest collaboration between one Vincent Wheeler and a poor fool named Hank Perkins. And I strongly suspect the former already has a pre-booked flight to Costa Rica, if he's not already there. And I do hope poor Hank can offer some suggestions for prison reform, or finds some other way to make himself useful after he takes the fall."

He now leaned back and folded his hands across his chest. "Meanwhile, the right hand was doing the borrowing, basing his figures on the full amount of the trust's funds, and the interest it was expected to accumulate, based on optimistic economic forecasts." He paused for effect, "Which did not, unfortunately, prove accurate." Both Upperton men now seemed completely subdued, but cast uneasy glances at Olson. "As a result, though there are substantial funds remaining in the trust, they are owed to various financial institutions, and then some. Rather then admit to this, Mayor Fenwise and Superintendent Greer accepted an offer for outside financial assistance, and failed to properly inform the proper authorities of certain aspects of that arrangement. Hence, the presence of Mister Olson, who has been undertaking an investigation into any possible illegalities for the last few weeks, and wishes to talk to both of you gentlemen privately when we are done."

"Few...weeks?!" Fenwise spluttered out.

Drew nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes! I became curious as soon as I heard of the Johansen Trust, since I had already begun a study of Middleton's financial profile, and noticed the fact that the school system was losing money, and not just because funds were being unwisely spent." Though Drakken wasn't looking at him, Joe Geary flinched at that. "And after noting some discrepancies, I did ask Mrs Stoppable to inform the Attorney General, to see if they might be interested." He paused, seeming reluctant to add, "And they notified other agencies, such as the IRS..." Greer's eyes rolled up in his head, and he face-planted on the table top. "Ah, I thought that might be distressing! Steven, will you ask Mrs Load to step in?"

About an hour later, Drakken and Jean Stoppable walked with the Lowerton representatives towards the City Hall entrance. Mayor Tweets had her lips pursed, slowly shaking her head as they walked. When they reached the front doors, she looked at Drakken, hesitated a moment, then spoke. "I can't see any opposition to your proposal, Mayor Lipsky." The Lowerton Superintendent nodded in agreement. "However under the circumstances, you may have greatly delayed Upperton's acceptance! No one even serious opposed Fenwick in their election, and they have no Deputy Mayor up there. So there's no one to speak for Upperton if those two are arrested."

Drakken nodded gravely. "Yes, I'm aware of that, but in this case, justice needed to be served before any further discussions were undertaken. Well, we'll have to make the best of it! We'll see what happens, and plan accordingly. As long as I'm assured of your agreement, I'll proceed on the assumption that the districts will be reunited, and inform the State authorities." Tweets smiled and nodded, still slightly uneasy, then said her goodbyes and left.

Jean Stoppable regarded Drakken with one eyebrow raised. "Well, you didn't tell me everything in advance, did you? I suppose I'll have to get used to that, won't I? And bye the bye, what if someone suspects you were involved in swindling the Trust, due to your previous relationship with Hank Perkins?"

Drakken waved his hand dismissively. "I never dealt in financial crime, Jean, and that 'relationship' was tenuous at best! And truthfully, those two were easy marks, no challenge, which would have made such a swindle far too boring for me!" He smirked, "Even Kimberly wouldn't have thought of me in such a role! Kind of a let-down, too, to go from saving the world to stopping a common embezzler, or swindler! And as to 'putting up with it', that won't be for too long either, I suspect."

Jean's curiosity was even more piqued by his choice of words. "Suspect? That's not sounding very certain."

Drakken's smirk widened into a smile. "Sorry, old habit, not letting nice people in on my plans!" Then he paused and shrugged, "But admittedly I haven't any definite date in mind as yet, that's another thing we'll just have to wait and see about."

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"Ironically, it was Drakken and Kim Possible that were responsible for the technology falling into our hands." the man sitting at the table fidgeted as he stared into Doctor Director's one-eyed glare. He stared at her rather then at the impassive gaze of the third person in the room, Frederick Isidor Lipsky, Inspector General for Global Justice. Somehow that emotionless gaze was far more unnerving then the obvious anger in Betty Director's.

"Drakken had the file stolen when he heard it contained projects that Professor Bortell had shelved in incomplete form. We actually heard he just wanted them to see if he could finish them, even if he had no use for any of them. And Kim Possible recovered them, but only after Drakken had cracked the encryption. And not wanting to return them herself, Kim gave them over to us to return. So, we had a chance to see what they were, and two of the three projects intrigued the Deputy Director." Betty's jaw tightened marginally at the mention of her former subordinate.

The former GJ technician looked down at his hands before continuing, "The first was a development of Bortell's emotion suppression chip, which he shelved after reading Ron Stoppable's story, in favor of trying to make a real, working, 'Moodulator'. The new version was more subtle, and was meant to prevent emotional 'peaks' that could affect judgment in stressful situations. And as, the Deputy Director said, what better test subject then a teenage girl?" He looked up briefly as if willing the others to acknowledge their understanding that it was not _his_ decision, but quickly dropped his eyes again.

"The second project involved trying to create a memory 'cache' within a human mind. Basically, all memories would be stored as they occurred, with the possibility of deleting them available to another person by remote control. Originally, Bortell wanted the memories to 'flow' through the cache, but had to settle for them being stored in such a way that the conscious mind could still access them, and having a periodic point where the memories would be 'dumped' into the subject's permanent memory, or deleted. The default command was of course 'dump'." He frowned. "The problem was no one ever checked them for compatibility with each other if both were installed in the same brain."

He nearly wet himself, and certainly jumped, when Betty slammed her hand down on the table. "Wrong!" She snapped angrily, "The problem was you put both of them in the head of a teenage girl without her consent or knowledge! Now, can you tell me exactly where _I_ was at the time?"

"Ge—Geneva, Ma'am! You were filling in for, and supposedly auditioning to replace, the Director of Operations. The Deputy Director actually though you weren't coming back at all! If you'd been another day, he might have started re-decorating your office!" He paused, then resumed his narrative. "As to what went wrong, basically the emotion program has a strange reaction to a complete emotional shutdown. Not enough data to analyze exactly what, though, from just two incidents. Anyway..."

"Just a moment." Frederick Lipsky interrupted, "Who was your first subject?"

The technician swallowed nervously. "Well, I did say that it was ironic that Drakken and Miss Possible were responsible! The first subject was Drakken."

"Y—you experimented on a prisoner in custody?!" Betty clenched her fists as she spluttered, "A prisoner in custody in _my_ facility?"

The subject of her ire looked as if he wanted to dive under the table. "I—I was just..." He clamped his mouth shut, hard, rather then finish an excuse that would likely have only made things much worse. Instead, he took refuge in the truth. "What apparently happened is that the Emotion program interacted with the memory program in such a way that after the next scheduled decision point, it changed the default command to 'delete'. The memory cache also began to 'leak' little bits of memory into the permanent memory, rather then catch them."

"In the first case, Drakken was subjected to an immediate 'delete' command. Then his memory continued to delete at six-hour intervals. In Kim's case, though, her memory was dumped at the next point after the program failure, after which deletions began to occur. We suspected as much, but couldn't get hold of her to try and turn the program off, as we eventually did with Drakken."

"Eventually?" The very mildness of Lipsky's question made the technician's bowels clench.

"Well, we didn't know at first that anything was wrong! And when we did, we tried to fix things, but nothing worked! So, we finally triggered the self-destruct protocol for both programs! Which is completely harmless to the host, of course!" Seeing no relaxation of his interrogator's hostile glares(as he interpreted Frederick Lipsky's actually blank look), he plunged on. "The British Ambassador's wife protected Kim like she was her own child! Even caught the team leader in a lie when he tried to claim we had Mrs Possible's consent to take her daughter home immediately, only to find out the ambassador's wife had already called Kim's mom! Then she insisted on checking our credentials, and we had to back off. But we finally got Kim, and fixed things on the flight home. Or rather, self-destructed the programs!"

"Why did you even consider my nephew a suitable candidate for your tests?" Frederick Lipsky asked.

Somewhat unsettled by the reminder of the IG's relationship to Drakken, the technician stammered out his reply. "N—not m—me, Sir!, The Deputy Director! And it's because your nephew is known to be so excitable! We figured if the emotion program could keep him relatively calm..." He paused, "But we couldn't set him off! We tried to prick his ego, ridiculed him, everything, and he just sat there, smirking most of the time!"

"How did you set him off, then?" Betty asked, scowling.

The technician looked downwards again. "We--we lied to him. At one session, we told him...we informed him that his mother had died in an accident, in as realistic a manner as possible. And he believed it." Fortunately for the man's continence, he didn't see the twitch of Frederick Lipsky's eye as he said this. "Of course, he has no memory of it, we deleted it."

Betty left the room first. Emerging from the adjacent room, from which they could monitor the interrogation, were a short elderly woman and a tall blond man.

The woman looked at Betty and addressed her in an English accent. "Well, that whole tale was as enlightening as it was disturbing. My sympathies, it's always hard to find such things going on in one's own patch."

"Thank You." Betty replied with a nod, "So, what part of that _didn't_ surprise you?"

"Ah! Well, we knew of course that something was affecting Miss Possible's memory once she was at the Ambassador's residence. Or at least, the first time the 'delete' command occurred. Then after further deletions, we saw the pattern." The trio began to stroll down the hall. They were in GJ's Geneva base. "At first, we intended to fly her to a hospital of our own, hoping to discover the problem, and try and cure it. But our experts cautioned that some possibility existed that permanent damage might be occurring."

Her companion took up the narrative. "At which point I made a judgment call. I made an assumption that whatever was wrong might account for your people's anxiety regarding Miss Possible, and that they might have a way to help her. So, we turned her over to them."

Betty had flinched at 'your people', but now she nodded. "You made the right choice, I'm very grateful that the consequences for her weren't any worse then they have been." She paused, shaking her head. "That poor girl has had more stuff running though her head lately...I suppose I'll have to increase the watch on Cyrus Bortell, in case he takes up these projects again."

The woman nodded. "And Herman Bortell as well." She added.

Betty's eyebrow rose. "Herman? So far, he's only produced a bit of nanotechnological nuisance!"

"True, but he's also received a scholarship offer from a University in Japan. And besides, have you considered what might happen if a cloud of Nanomoths was unleashed during a session of Congress?" She added with a hint of amusement.

"Or the House of Commons?" Betty returned.

"_Touche_._" _The woman responded. Behind her, her companion commented, "The House of Lords, on the other hand, could use some lightening up!" The woman turned and gave him a stern look, but the corners of her mouth twitched as she did. Then she looked at Betty. "Doctor Director, always a pleasure to see you, even under circumstances such as these."

"And you." Betty replied, then watched them enter the elevator. Then a scowl crossed her face, and she returned to the interrogation room. Frederick Lipsky hadn't moved, but the technician now had his knees pressed together, and might have been actually shaking. Frederick looked up curiously as Betty entered, but she addressed the tech. "Tell me, what was the third project on Cyrus Bortell's file?"

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"And that's the whole story, Nana." Kim finished telling her grandmother what had happened to her on the fateful mission. The two were trudging along the sidewalk on a street near the Possible residence. Kim held an armload of fliers, announcing the time and date when the Possible Christmas lights would be lit, posting them around the neighborhood to give their neighbors fair warning. Now Kim anxiously awaited the elder Possible's reaction to the tale.

Nana didn't respond, and Kim saw she was deep in thought. She then noticed a woman she knew, Mrs Pottsley, getting out of her car, which she had just started to warm the engine up. Mrs Pottsley saw Kim as well, and smiled in greeting. "Hello Kim, what brings you out in this weather?" The snow on the ground wasn't the last they were expecting for the day, the heavy gray clouds hanging overhead were ominously promising more. Kim smiled back and held out one of the fliers.

"Aha! What time this year? December 24th, 5:30 PM! Well, I'll make sure my blackout curtains and radiation shields are up in time, then!" Mrs Pottsley continued to smile as she said this, but Kim blushed slightly as she returned the smile. "It won't be too bad this year, Mrs Pottsley, the Tweebs and Dad both promised Mom more creativity, less candlepower."

The woman laughed merrily. "Well, that's good, I suppose. And isn't this your Grandmother, James' mother?"

Kim nodded and introduced the two. Nana responded politely, but was obviously still distracted. Kim chatted with the woman a bit longer, asking after her son, who had graduated the year before. She felt a chill when she heard he had enlisted in the Marine Corps, to get financial aid for his college education, but her smile didn't slip. Nevertheless, she felt unusually grateful to walk away from Mrs Pottsley.

The two Possible women walked in silence for a few minutes, before Nana spoke. "I suspect you haven't told your parents yet, would you mind telling me why?" Kim was mildly startled by Nana's accurate guess, and stammered out her reply.

"W—well, I—I was _going _to! Right after telling some others...I was thinking I had to tell my therapist, and Mom and Dad, and was dreading going through the story twice. Then Ron made a good suggestion. Since I had told him that Doctor Cardien wanted to have a session with both of my parents present, he suggested I 'tell three birds with one story', as he put it. So I asked Doctor Cardien, and she agreed that I could bring it up in the session." Kim's voice dropped slightly, "But I didn't. Something else occurred to me, and I decided I needed to talk to you, first."

Nana nodded, having a good idea what Kim's reason was. But she decided to make the girl tell it herself. "Go on, Dear."

Now Kim hesitated, biting her lip, and diverting herself by posting a flier on a support for one set of traffic lights. "Well, I needed to ask..." she paused, then took a deep breath and continued, "Do you think it's a good idea to tell Dad at all?"

Nana refrained from smiling as her guess proved correct. "Are you afraid of what he might think of you, my Dear?"

"No! Or maybe a little. No, I'm afraid what hearing it would do to him, if it might hurt him, to learn that his little girl...this is _So_ Big, I don't know..." She trailed off and shrugged hopelessly.

"I understand, Dear." Nana waited until they had crossed the street before speaking again. "And my answer is no, Kimberly Anne, I don't think it's a good idea, but it's your decision whether to do it or not. Mark you, I don't approve of keeping secrets, but...there are a few things that occurred to me when I was young...older then you, but in a way, more naive, I think. Things I swore I would never tell my children about unless they asked me directly, if they guessed that such things might have occurred. And Slim did ask, but James never did, for which I'm grateful. It just never occurred to him...Slim was your grandfather's favorite, James was mine, but neither of us showed too much favor, you understand. We both loved our children equally. And knowing James the way I do, I think it might be best to keep it from him, and Anne as well, so _she_ doesn't have to keep the secret from him. You may have to keep it to yourself, Dear." _"And feel the weight of keeping it, poor girl."_ She added to herself.

Kim nodded and kept walking in silence for several minutes. Then she sighed. "I'm not going to tell him, it wouldn't do him any good,or anyone else!"

"_Except yourself perhaps, Kimberly Anne?" _Nana thought, but aloud said, "Well! Let's put the gloomy thoughts behind us, we have a Holiday to celebrate! Come along Dear, I agreed to help with this, but there's a reason I moved to Florida, and it was had something to do with walking around in cold weather! So let's get this done, then back to the house for hot cocoa and lemon squares!"

0000000000

Early the following day, Frederick Lipsky walked with Betty as she headed for the base's flight facility to catch her ride back to the US. "There will of course be some difficulty if you tell Kim Possible what we learned yesterday." He remarked as they rode an elevator from the residential section to the hangar level.

"And what of your nephew?" Betty responded.

Frederick shrugged, scowling. "Well, according to records, he suffered a head injury during his arrest on that occasion, and suffered a possible concussion. Since he hasn't raised a fuss, I'm assuming he attributes his memory lapses to that. One of the men responsible for the experiment suggested as much to him."

"Ah." Betty nodded, then was silent as they exited the elevator and passed down a corridor past several agents and employees. Once they were inside the hangar and more or less isolated from being overheard, she spoke again. "In point of fact, I have no intention of telling Kim Possible about those matters at this time."

"Oh?" Lipsky's eyebrows raised in surprise. "I can assume one reason is to protect Global Justice, but I didn't think that would quite be enough, given the circumstances."

"And you're right. I'm not telling Kim because I don't think the knowledge would do her any good. What she's forgotten isn't her problem, it's what she now remembers that is. What she did, and why she did it. It's eating at her, and if I thought the stuff they put in her was the cause, I wouldn't hesitate to tell her the whole story. But I don't know that for a fact, and telling her might supply her with a crutch, an excuse for her behavior that was beyond her control. And I don't want that. Something happened, and she has to deal with it, face it. She's receiving help, but to tell the truth, I'd like to take her and Ron Stoppable and drop them on a deserted island some place, because that might be the best thing for her, and them! Only thing stopping me is her schoolwork, and the fact that James Possible would put me in orbit if I did that!"

That increased the surprise on Frederick Lipsky's face. "You think that putting those two alone somewhere together would result in healing? Just the two of them, alone? If it was one of my daughters, I might support Doctor Possible's actions."

Betty smiled thinly. "Well, I'd give Kim a comlink to connect with Liz Cardien, so she could talk to her, maybe. But otherwise, those two can be the best thing for each other sometimes, better then their parents, or any councilor. IN fact, that's their greatest weakness at times..." She trailed off thoughtfully, then shook her head. "Enough of that, I need to catch my flight." she saw Frederick give her an odd look. "I know, it's literally _my_ flight, but I do need to get going. Always good to see you, Sir."

Frederick smiled warmly, a rare thing to occur on the job, and held his hand out. "And always good to see one of my best protégées, Betty. Take care of yourself, we can't afford to lose you." Then a thought struck him. "That reminds me, are you going to talk to Miss Possible about the other matter, the one that brought you back to the room?"

Betty nodded, face solemn. "Oh, yes, that _is_ something I will be discussing with her!"

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Decided with some encouragement to post this as is. Might mean going past 25 chapters, we'll see.

For now, Please Read and Review


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

Kim's biggest Christmas present was on four wheels. It even had four-wheel drive. What it didn't have was...

"Snow tires, Kimmiecub, sorry!" Her Father rubbed the back of his neck, partially from embarrassment, and partly due to Kim's exuberant reaction when she saw the car. "We actually designed some 'smart' tires, just for this car, able to adapt to all sorts of conditions..."

"And what happened to them?" Ron asked. To be honest, Kim might not have been paying too much attention to her father's words as she ran her hands over the car, as if to prove to herself it was real.

"Oh, the Government found out about them and had them labeled a 'Top Secret' project." He shook his head slowly as he spoke.

"That happen a lot?" Ron asked curiously.

"More then you can imagine! Now, Kimmiecub, I.." His words this time broke Kim's concentration on the car. She spun around and threw herself at him again, standing on tiptoe to fling her arms around his neck and kiss him again on the cheek. "Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, it's Beautiful, Dad!"

"Hey! We helped too!" Jim exclaimed. He, his brother, Anne and Nana stood in the doorway leading from the house to the garage. Tim nodded emphatically in agreement. But when Kim turned towards them and actually seemed about to sweep them up in an embrace, looks of panic bloomed, and the pair retreated hastily into the house with yelps of alarm.

Annoyed at their flight, Kim yelled after them. "Tweebs!...Thank You!" Then she returned her attention to the car. Muttering on Ron's part distracted her momentarily, something about not expecting purple, having to change the color, or something. Presuming he was in story-mode again, Kim ignored him and stepped up to the car. Hesitating only momentarily, she abruptly opened the door and slid into the driver's seat, and began checking everything out.

The three adults and Ron moved closer to the vehicle. "Wow! It has a HUD!" Kim exclaimed. James winced. "Um, Kimmicub, the systems that was for were not installed in the final model, we kinda overdid things at the Space Center trying to make it special for you, and had to cut back. Or, have you making five miles per tank of gas, or having to tow a separate trailer with another power source in it."

Kim grinned and rolled her eyes, then frowned in puzzlement. "Something _is _missing, though!"

Now James frowned and leaned down to look through the driver's window. "What, Sweetheart?"

Kim grinned mischievously, "Why, someone in the passenger seat, duh!"

The race for comprehension was clearly won by Anne and Nana, with James a few seconds behind. Ron finished a poor fourth, but his mind was distracted by other things. Then his eyes popped wide. "Oh! Right! On it, KP!" He dashed around to the passenger side, stopping only to prevent some tools he brushed against from hitting the floor, then got in the car, and buckled up. "Now what?" He asked Kim.

She looked at him with a hint of the devil in her eyes. "Oh, just wanted to make sure the vehicle was properly balanced, _and_..." she buckled her own seatbelt, "Make sure we could safely do this..." And she leaned over and planted a major toe-curler on Ron's lips. James Possible found something else to look at, while his wife and his mother exchanged knowing glances.

When Ron was able to think coherently again, by his standards, Kim gave him a bigger smile, then looked around the car with a slight frown. "Hmmm, since this isn't a standard model, we need a name for it!" She gave Ron a warning look. "And nobody had better suggest 'KimMobile!'"

Ron grinned. "Not a chance, KP!" Then he became a bit more serious. "Actually, though, I already have a name for it. Since we're starting with an SL Roth, I thought..."

James, unaware that the PDA had ceased, was studying the ceiling, noting some cobwebs, when Kim's startled "What!" made him jump. He couldn't follow the rest of the conversation within the car, but it eventually ended with another kiss, though more in the line of a quick peck this time. Then the two teens climbed out of the car, and Kim gave her father another hug. "I'm _sooo_ happy to finally have a car of my own! Now I just need weather I can safely drive it in!"

"You deserve it, Kimmicub! Just be sure to drive safely, and your curfew is still the same!" He added the last part sternly, causing Kim to roll her eyes. "Yes, Dad!"

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The Orphans' Christmas Party in Go City went off smoothly enough, though Shego knew that if Hego had wondered aloud why Santa had a Scottish accent one more time, he'd have replaced the angel at the apex of the Christmas tree. Afterwards, after verifying some information she'd paid well for, it was time for those two days off...

"I cannot believe I let you talk me into all this!" Bernadette Barr groused.

Shego rolled her eyes. "That's four times you've said that, ya know! And again, I didn't put a gun to your head, nor have I seen you packing up and fleeing, if you're so upset! So, just lie back and enjoy the sunshine, and think what it's like in Middleton. Last time I checked, they had two inches of snow, and were in the teens!"

Bernie remained surly as she replied, "I know, but the problem is I'm getting a little too much sunshine!" Her eyes swept the beach, which held a decent crowd, all adults. It's main features were seclusion, and an almost total absence of swimwear. There were a few exceptions, suits being optional, but most of those were the older sun worshipers.

"Yeah, on that point, don't forget to turn over, don't want an uneven tan, there." Shego remarked as she adjusted her sunglasses.

"Same back at you." Bernie replied, even as she did turn over on her stomach. The sense of reduced vulnerability made her wonder why she hadn't done so, earlier.

Shego snorted. "Doesn't apply to me, Bernie, I don't tan, side effect of my powers."

Bernie propped her head on one elbow, studying the thief. "Oh, really? Have you checked your complexion lately?"

"Huh?" Shego pushed her glasses up on her forehead, then looked at her forearm, turning it this way and that. "What the-" There was definitely some darkening of the skin, back to the shade she barely remembered from before she got her powers. The green tint had been fading ever since her powers had 'smoothed out', but this was new. "I'll be damned! I guess there's some changes going on-wait a moment! Why didn't you say anything earlier? I mean, how long have you noticed? I'll have an uneven tan now!" She promptly flipped over on her own belly.

"Actually, I didn't know you didn't know, Shego." Bernie replied, then winced. "Try saying that three times fast! Um, so why do you think this is happening?"

Shego shrugged, running her fingers across her forearms. "Wonder if I burn now, too? Keep an eye on me, see if I start to. Better find out now, rather then later. No idea what's going on. When I got my powers, all the changes occurred practically instantly, something more gradual is happening now."

That was the end of conversation for a while. Shego kept a watch on the beach while appearing to do so nonchalantly. But it was Bernie that spotted what the thief was waiting for. "There's the type of guy who makes me want to cover up!" She commented acidly.

Shego looked the same direction she was, and couldn't help a predatory smirk that popped up on her lips. A skinny man with sandy hair and a small goatee had just arrived on the beach. He was definitely exercising the 'option', and Shego was glad of it. In fact, he was wearing knee-length baggy shorts as he settled down in a beach lounger about forty feet away. His blond companion, however, went _au naturel_, and had no reason to be shy, except...

"Nature did not produce _that_ girl!" Bernie observed.

"Ya think?" Shego quipped. Some of the blonde's attributes were undoubtedly natural, but not the most attention grabbing ones.

"Bet this guy isn't even going to be subtle about the fact he's just here to ogle naked women." Bernie continued sourly. She shifted her beach bag to a position that blocked the man's line of sight to her backside, and settled down again.

Shego on the other hand kept an eye on the man, waiting for an opportunity. Twenty minutes later, it came. The blond suddenly decided to go visit the beach bar. Rising to her feet, she trotted away. Shego snorted._ "Imagine, somewhere there's a seismograph registering all that movement!"_

Taking an quick look at Bernie, who seemed to be dozing, and showed no sign of a sunburn starting, Shego rose and headed towards the man. If it bothered her that she was about to talk to someone she knew while wearing just a pair of sunglasses, it didn't show. A smirk crossed her face as she came up on him unnoticed, as he studied a pair of young women huddled together on a nearby beach blanket, whispering to each other and getting a little intimate.

"Hey Myron." Shego addressed him. His head snapped up, blinking in surprise. "Um, Myron? Oh, do I know you?" He replied uncertainly. Then his eyes started to wander, and he added, "Or _have_ I known you?" He waggled his eyebrows behind his shades.

Shego's jaw dropped in shock, as her eyes blinked rapidly. Then she shook her head violently, and she looked at her own hands. _"What! No green, and a tan, and the twerp doesn't recognize me? Why that..."_ Myron wasn't making eye contact at all. Shego shoved her glasses up to reveal her emerald eyes, and snapped, "Myron! Eyes here!" She indicated her own eyes with two fingers, then sheathed her right hand with green plasma as he looked up, before extinguishing it to avoid drawing attention.

Myron's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and so much blood ran out of his face Shego was afraid he'd faint, if not have a stroke. "Sh—Sh—Shego?" He stammered. "Wh—what are y—you d—doing here?"

Shego's smirk returned as she dropped to a crouch, but turned slightly to avoid giving Myron _too_ good a view. "Wanted to ask you a few questions, Myron. The first of which is, what's a nice married guy like you, with such a formidable _hausfrau_ at home, and I'm _not _referring to the Professor's odd wardrobe choices, doing running around at the beach with Miss Silicone Gold? Aren't you afraid of the wife finding out?"

Myron blinked in confusion at the unexpected question. "My wife?" Then for just a second Shego was sure she caught something that would have been the last thing that should have been on Myron's face. Just a hint of a smirk, then his face contorted, his eyes widened, and he spoke in a trembling voice, "Y—you wouldn't tell her, would you?"

Shego had put her glasses back down, which she was glad of, since it hid the confusion, then suspicion, that her eyes would have expressed. _"Huh? I don't know whether to be insulted or confused, that he'd think I'd fall for this fear act of his, or the fact that he's only faking it!" _She sat down on the sand, and decided to go along with the act. "Well, that depends on whether you can explain why D.I.C.K. is investing so much money in a certain part of Colorado."

Myron snickered. "Sorry, but that still cracks me up! Even better, Prof D hasn't figured it out yet!" Shego's eyes narrowed slightly at the 'Prof D', but she kept silent as Myron continued, "I'm sorry..." Then apparently realizing he wasn't sounding sorry enough, he added a tremor to his voice, "I-I mean, I'm sorry, but I can't help you, I have no access to any info on the company's current plans or projects. My only responsibility is keeping tabs on the Professor, so he doesn't do anything to embarrass the company, while my wife is making a great success of running it!"

Shego was only half listening to him, though she was registering it all. Her own thoughts were spinning around as she tried to make sense of his behavior. But she was aware enough to notice Myron's blond friend turning away from the bar with two drinks in her hands. Myron, on the other hand, was showing a distinct lack of anxiety as he again scanned the beach, with an occasional sideways glance at Shego. After failing to come up with another question that she'd likely get a straight answer to, Shego rose to her feet, brushing sand off her backside.

"Myron," She said casually, "Unless you want your friend enjoying the beach while you enjoy the burn ward, get your eyes off my ass!" A muffled "Oww!" as Myron snapped his head too violently to his right followed.

Shego smirked slightly and headed back to Bernie. The nurse still appeared to be dozing as Shego passed her and again lay down on her stomach, rested her head on her crossed arms, and closed her own eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun.

Bernie, in a similar position, opened her eyes again to study the strange man Shego had spoken to. Shego had failed to notice that Bernie's bag had been moved. _"Going to have to crop the picture I took with my cellphone before I show it to Wade," _Bernie thought, _"Hope I can get a decent image of that guy's face without any naughty bits in the frame!"_

00000000000

"And in conclusion, the Deputy Director's physician claims that the trauma of his brother's betrayal is so severe that he's still incompetent to defend himself or his actions, unquote." Abby Hogan looked up from the report in her hands to study her boss's face. They were in Betty's office, going through the routine reports.

"Would you like me to name the species of mammal I believe that excrement originated from?" Betty Director commented acidly. She picked up another report off her desktop, shook it once, and dropped it again. "Thirty people, Abby! Thirty people from _this_ facility, _my_ command, knew about what was done to either Kim Possible, or Drew Lipsky, or _both!" _She rose abruptly to her feet, and turned to look at the bank of monitors along one wall of her office. Rather then images taken from several worldwide news services, or from video coverage on ongoing operations, they currently displayed still images, mostly surveillance photos, that bothered Betty in some way. Some detail she was subconsciously picking up on was the usual cause. And usually, she'd spot it eventually.

"Hope this isn't going to have you doubting your command style, Betts." Abby commented, though she seriously doubted that was likely. She just wanted to keep Betty from getting moody.

Her boss gave her a sardonic look. "Not likely!" She began to pace in front of the screens, studying the images. "Look, it's how I do things. I know It generates some resentment, especially from some individuals who don't think I'm 'fair' to them, or give them an even break, etcetera! But it really gripes me that that worm came in here and built his own little cadre from the 'disaffected'!"

"He knew what to look for to build his own little power base here, Betts, it's the way he operates! Too bad we didn't hear something about his behavior at his previous commands, I wonder why none of his previous bosses warned us?" She shook her head, then looked at Betty with a frown, "Fred Lipsky apologize for dumping that guy on you with no warning?" Abby asked curiously.

"As much as he ever does." Betty replied neutrally. She was focusing on one picture, and Abby got up and came around the desk to get a look at it. "That's new." She commented. It was an image of Wilhelm Demenz, Professor Dementor in 'civilian' clothes. It was taken in an outdoor park, and showed the diminutive scientist entertaining his two nephews, aged 3 and 5. Abby scanned the picture, looking for anything out of place. "Who are the two obvious security types in the back?"

"'Obvious Security Types', obviously!" Betty replied, and smirked when Abby snorted. "Seriously, corporate security from Demenz Industrial. Their mother has them covered at all times, even when they're with their 'Uncle Willi'." She frowned thoughtfully, "Maybe _especially_ when they're with Dementor." Then she shrugged, turning away from the screens. Going to her desk, she pressed several keys on a small keypad, and the images changed to their normal views. "Not sure what about that picture bothers me, but there's something." She looked up at the clock. "Forget that for now, let's get some more work done before my appointment with Kim Possible."

00000000000

"Anyway, it may not rank with 'Saving the World', Possible, but thanks for the rescue yesterday." Bonnie Rockwaller told Kim as she nibbled at her salad. Sitting next to her in the booth at Bueno Nacho, Monique nodded in agreement, but with her mouth full of Naco, thankfully added no verbal gratitude.

Kim grinned. "No Big! Just glad Mom let me borrow her car to ride to the rescue! But really, was it that bad?" She cast a glance to where Ron was leaning on the counter talking to Ned, who in turn was watching two new hires dealing with customers.

Both girls nodded emphatically. "DDFH, Girlfriend!" Monique managed as she swallowed. "Double Date From Hell." Bonnie translated before Kim could try and figure it out.

"Hmm. But shouldn't that be DBDFH, guys?" Kim asked archly. That caused a bit of squirming on the part of the other two. Then Bonnie shrugged. "What can I say? We're desperate!"

Monique gave her a sharp look. "I am NOT desperate!"

Bonnie smirked, while Kim waved an admonishing finger at Monique. "Indoor voice, Mon." Monique blushed and looked quickly around to see if anyone was paying attention, then went back to eating. "Not desperate." She mumbled.

"Desperate for someone to spend New Year's Eve with, I should say." Bonnie clarified, now serious. "Especially if we all attend the Barrs' New Year's Eve party." Then she looked at Kim curiously. "Any invitations extended to your fam?"

Kim nodded. "To me and my parents. They want to go, surprisingly. As long as we find someone to guard..I mean watch, the Tweebs."

"You mean guard." Bonnie replied flatly. "And aren't they old enough not to be babysat?"

Kim rolled her eyes. "'Guard' and 'Babysit', two different things. Anyway, it'll probably end up a trust issue. We trust them not to blow the house up, or not."

"So you're going?" Monique asked, seeming to be a bit surprised.

Kim grinned and nodded. "With Ron! This way, Mom and Dad won't have to pack any whips, they'll have me along if any bad guys come to call."

Both of the others rolled their eyes. "Girlfriend, if it wasn't for the fashion opportunity, you might almost make me decide not to go!" Monique declared with mock severity. "But, I can't pass up a party with a 'Roaring Twenties' theme! I'm styling my own little 'flapper' number, just for the evening! And speaking of that, you have yours ready?"

Kim bobbed her head, but had to chew and swallow a mouthful of salad before replying. "Natch! And because of it's design, I sincerely hope no bad guys do come, I can't see myself doing any Kung Fu in it!" She checked Ron again, but the boy showed no sign of ending his chat with Ned soon. Then she looked at Bonnie's hair. "You've got one advantage over me, Bonnie, you can style your hair in a twenties hairdo better then I can mine. Women generally wore it shorter then, to be in style."

"And since when did you worry about style?" Bonnie teased, then flung her hands up at Kim's glower, which wasn't intense enough to be real, "Sorry! Seriously, have you ever thought of cutting yours? It seems like it might get in the way some times on your missions."

Kim nodded. "Well, I usually tie it back with a scrunchie. Then Wade made a gadget that looks like a scrunchie that was so useful, I kept using it! So, I did think about it."

"The possibility of a hair-pulling contest between you and Shego might have been a good motive, too." Monique observed.

"Oh, no. We agreed early on, no hair-pulling!" Kim responded emphatically, "We were afraid we'd end up in the living equivalent of a Gordian Knot!"

Monique snorted, then a thought struck her. "Oh! Bonnie made some remark just before you saved us last night, about Ron teeing off the Lunch Lady at school?"

"Which time?" Kim asked seriously, then snorted, "The worst being the story he wrote about taking over the cooking in the cafeteria! She did NOT care for that tale at all, though it was a few weeks after he posted it that she found out about it! Still surprised she reads that kind of stuff..." her voice trailed off as she noticed Bonnie looking uncomfortable. Then it clicked. "Bonnie, you didn't!"

"What?" Bonnie bristled automatically, then grimaced and subsided. "Hey, that was the week he gave my sisters another opportunity to make fun of me, remember?"

Kim winced, and glanced at Ron, then nodded. "Sorry, forgot about that! But he honestly didn't know you'd invited your family to your recital!" She paused, then continued apologetically, "And I'm not sure that even if he did, he wouldn't have played the prank. Back then...all of two years ago?" Kim shook her head, "Ron was still very...immature about those things. But most guys are, aren't they?" She asked with a shrug. Both girls nodded in solemn agreement.

"Why did Ron play the prank?" Monique asked curiously. Both of the other girls blinked, then frowned.

"Was that the time you made fun of the lipstick I tried out?" Kim asked Bonnie.

Bonnie thought, then shook her head. "No, I think it was the time I told everyone about your unintentional 'belly flop' at Lake Middleton."

Kim shook her head. "No, that was earlier! Maybe it was the time..."

"Whoa! Time out!" Monique interrupted, "Or better yet, forget I asked! When two people have so much history that _they_ can't keep it straight...never mind. Anyway, Kim, I do want to thank you for the save, I'm so glad I have someone like you to count on at times like that!"

"Okay, I need more four-one-one here!" Kim replied, "First, were they really that bad? And second, who set you two up on this blind date, anyway?" As she said this, Kim's eye caught something outside the restaurant. Betty Director, leaning on the hood of a black Jaguar on the edge of the parking lot. It didn't take a lot of brains to figure out who she was waiting for...

00000000000

"The last bit of business concerns a new source of income and employment." Drakken sat at the conference table once again, talking to his staff. "Cow 'N Chow has sold all it's West Coast operations to a new company, 'Bummer Burger'."

"Bummer Burger?" Jean Stoppable asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah!" Francis Lerman replied, "Their motto is: 'It's a Bummer, Maaan, but it's real beef!', kinda catchy."

"Try not to catch any of that yourself." Drakken deadpanned, then continued, "As a result of this decision, Cow 'N Chow has decided to relocate it's main distribution center here to Middleton, or more precisely, along the southern boundary of the city, West of the railroad line."

"Hmm." Gary Ridlock, the City Planner, mused, "That would make it very convenient for the new business bypass around Lowerton's business district."

"We wouldn't be getting all the employment opportunities ourselves, then." B. N. Counter, the City Comptroller, observed, "Split between us and Lowerton."

"Realistically, Belmont," Jean Stoppable replied, "All large businesses in the Tri-City area are the same way, we don't ban people from Lowerton from working in Middleton, or vice versa, etcetera, etcetera. The location is most convenient to the Interstate, so their trucks will have no problem. We're thinking of asking for State funds to widen the highway there, to provide more exit lanes at the location."

Drakken felt his personal cellphone vibrate in his pocket. He let the others discuss matters while he checked the caller, nodded to himself, and then followed the rest of the discussion with a touch of impatience, which he actually hid quite well. When the meeting broke up, only Jean lingered to speak with him. "So, Drew, did you have any influence on the board of directors at Cow 'N Chow, regarding their decision to locate here?"

"I hope not, really!" Drew replied, then smiled at her puzzled look. "I'm a minority stockholder, really, and just mentioned it when I heard they were looking for sites. I mean, it's not impossible they overreacted to the 'suggestion', but I sincerely hope they didn't out of some idea I might be displeased if they didn't, because I really want to only use _that _reputation where I most want to, my currently suspended criminal career. I mean, if that's why they did it, I'm going to have to be careful what I say around those people, won't I?"

She nodded in response, but gave him a mildly suspicious look as she left. As soon as she was gone Drew had his phone out, hitting speed dial for Shego's number. He didn't give her a chance to speak first. "Find anything out from Myron, Shego?"

"Oh, was that his name?" Came a voice it took a moment for Drew to recognize as Bernadette Barr's. He grimaced as the nurse continued, "Shego's in the bathroom, checking out some sunburn she got, I'll get her."

"_Great move, Lipsky! Wait...Sunburn?" _Drakken heard voices faintly over the phone, barely making out "..just a random choice, huh?" from Bernie, before Shego came on.

"Smooth move, Doctor D!" She commented waspishly.

"Gnnnn! Shego, I'm not used to other people answering your phone, after all! The only other time was when you were in Greece that time, and the masseur answered because you were wrapped up at the time!" Drew replied petulantly.

Shego snickered. "And what image did that conjure up in your mind? Nevermind, down to business! Myron's here, all right, with a well endowed blond companion. They flew in together, and are sharing a room together, so...unless she's an unknown relative, I think we can safely say he's stepping out on the missus. Registered as Myron Derbart." She spelled it out, "Even corrected the waiter's pronunciation of it at lunch. Weird choice of a cover name, to say the least."

A small scowl appeared on Drakken's face, but he ignored the nagging notion that the name was significant for some reason. "Yes, but how did he react to any, er, implications that you might mention the situation to his wife?"

Shego sighed. "Actually..ow! Pardon, some sensitive skin, here! Actually, for just a second, he seemed amused by the notion his wife might find out. Or, maybe, amused that I'd think she'd object? Something weird about that family sitch, that's all I can say!"

"We are talking about Dementor's family after all, Shego!" Drew paused thoughtfully, "But you're right, something is odd there. Which is just—snap! Sent you down there to try and shed light on one mystery, and instead you find another! And on the subject of skin, you have a legitimate sunburn?"

"Yep! First since I was twelve, actually. And a tan, which I haven't seen since I got my powers. That part is kinda nice, I'm less recognizable now. It has it's drawbacks..." She paused for a moment, as if remembering something, "...but the advantages should outweigh them. Anyway, Myron says he knows nothing about the operations of Demenz Industrial, and I think he's telling the truth. I think Dementor's sister has stuck them together and frozen them out of company business altogether, for her own reasons. Trying to turn a profit without Dementor blowing it on some secret project or bribes to get charges dropped, for instance."

Drakken thought about that for a bit before replying. "You're probably right, it makes sense." He sighed in resignation, "Still, I was hoping for more off this venture. I hope I didn't mess things up with your friend, Shego."

"I'll find that out when we're done, Doc. Don't think it's going to be too much of a problem, though. Anyway, catch ya later, got to get ready for tonight. Unless she's really pissed at me, we're going clubbing with a couple of guys we met on the beach today."

"Who probably want to find out what you girls look like without your swimsuits!" Drakken replied sourly. There was a moment of silence on the other end, and Shego's voice sounded decidedly strained when she answered. "Well, actually...nah, too easy! See you later, Doc!"

Drakken looked at the phone in puzzlement for a moment, then shrugged and pocketed it before returning to his office. He took a small notepad, and wrote 'Derbart' on it. After staring at it a moment, he shook his head and started reading a proposal from Steve Barkin concerning fencing in school property. _"Eight feet high, I can accept, the barbed wire on top...maybe? But electrifying it is right out!"_

00000000000

"I'm very disappointed in you Kimberly." Was hardly the way Kim expected Doctor Director to open the conversation. Her jaw dropped in surprise, which showed clearly in her eyes. Betty gave her a moment, then added, "Using Professor Bortell's 'dream-link' technology the way you have." Kim's eyes widened even more, then she dropped them and blushed.

"Exactly how did you find out about that technology?" Betty asked the girl, then winced. _"Asked that one too soon! Should have discussed her reasons for a bit first!" _She looked around as to see if anyone else had overheard her gaffe. They had walked a short distance from Bueno Nacho, but Betty could still see Ron and the two girls watching them from a distance.

"It had to do with the 'brain swap' machine, Ma'am." Kim replied quietly, head still down, "Drakken had actually taken Professor Bortell's work and built on it. You see, the Professor established a link between sleeping minds, Drakken thought he could do the same between conscious minds. And he did, of course. So, it's not surprising that one of the side effects of the 'brain swap' was shared dreams."

"I see." Betty responded. _"Does that mean she didn't see what Drakken stole from Bortell later? Can't think of any way to ask her without arousing her suspicions.." _Aloud, she continued, "But that doesn't explain how the Dream Link tech got in yours and Ron's brains, or why?"

If anything, Kim looked more ashamed, but couldn't seem to come up with any words in reply. So Betty continued the conversation. "And one thing that strikes me, if I'm right about _why _you did it, is that I think Ron might have agreed to it, if you'd asked."

That roused Kim. "But it might have been a bad idea, for many reasons! I mean, what I did was wrong, but I remembered how nice it was when we shared dreams, when I could lose myself in his...and I couldn't deal with whatever was in my head! I was having nightmares, bad ones! I lost weight, couldn't sleep, and couldn't explain it to anyone! And then I thought that if I just got some sleep...and I asked Professor Bortell to let me use the Dream Link. He agreed, if I provided 'data' for him, especially regarding times it backflowed, as he called it, where my dreams took priority." Her voice almost pleaded for understanding, and Betty had to clamp down hard on her compassion. "But why would it have been bad to ask Ron to do it voluntarily? He would have, you know." Betty had one suspicion on the matter, but wanted to hear Kim's reasoning.

Kim took a while to marshal her thoughts, as Betty waited patiently. "I never let him know what kind of problem I had in the first place, because he doesn't handle 'helpless' well, especially being helpless to help me. And since I didn't know what was bothering me, and felt helpless, it would have been worse for him, trust me." She looked at Betty then, and received a nod of encouragement. "He loves me so much, he couldn't stand it if I was suffering and he couldn't help, the same way I would feel if the situation was reversed."

"But, he would have been helping you if he agreed to the link, wouldn't that have been enough?" A brief gust of wind caused Betty to look up at the currently clear sky, though ominous looking clouds were approaching from the direction of the Rockies.

"Maybe, but there's two things that could have gone wrong." Kim replied, "First, he might have seen the link as a temporary solution, and when a permanent one didn't present itself, he might have gotten impatient and tried to find or suggest solutions. Some of which, Ron being Ron, might have been a bit, um, impractical. I do get annoyed with him some times, and hate myself afterwards, and I think in those circumstances, he'd have gotten annoying eventually, and I might have done or said something..." She shook her head, "Let's go to the second thing, I'm not sure I'm expressing myself clearly here."

Betty chose to remain silent. So far, Kim hadn't used the reason Betty had thought of. Now the girl continued, "I might have gotten too comfortable with the link, and never found the courage to turn it off, and find and face my demons, and Ron would have just let me, rather then pushing me to do the right thing, and find out the truth." Betty nodded, that was the reason that had occurred to her. But now she asked, "So you can switch the link on and off?"

Kim nodded. "I have a device to do that. I turned it off once before, back before Drakken joined the Mayoral race. I even told my parents that there were no more shared dreams. But after I hurt myself...well, I had _some _nightmares in the interim, but after I hurt myself, they came every time I went to sleep. So, I turned the link back on again, just to get some sleep. Pathetic, huh?"

"No Kim, I don't think it's pathetic at all." Betty replied in a kindly voice, "But what about after you learned the truth? Did you turn it off then?"

Kim cast her eyes down again and shook her head. "I should have, but I didn't at first! It's off now though, I turned it off on the way back from South Africa." She looked up, and held Betty's gaze as she asked, "Should I give the remote to you? That way, I can't turn it back on again."

Betty shook her head. "That's the best reason to keep it, Kim. So you can face that little guilt demon and beat it. However, I think you should tell Ron the truth." She smirked for a second. "I actually thought the best thing to do with you was dump you on a deserted island with him, because I thought it would help 'heal' you!"

Kim responded with a wan smile. "Only after hurting him a bit first! I betrayed a trust. And he'll forgive me for it, whether I deserve it or not, because he would have let me do it if I asked. Sometimes, I feel I don't deserve him, and some times, I hate to say, I think he's bad for me in some ways. He forgives too easily, accepts my flaws too readily...well, you know I'm the type of personality that occasionally needs a sharp reality check, even though my outlook is usually pretty realistic!" She paused, "And I really don't know if I can trust Ron to give me that check when I'll really need it. As to the deserted island, bad idea! I'm afraid with nothing to do, we'd do just what Dad would be afraid we'd do! A semi-deserted island with some activity, maybe!"

"Semi-deserted? How do you define that?" Batty asked curiously.

"Well, people, but people who won't bother us, and don't need our help, I guess. Just not enough privacy to get, um, you know...anyway, people we can be around as much as we choose to, I guess." She sighed, "People who didn't know us would be perfect, of course, but..." She shook her head. "Not that that's going to happen, anyway, I can't leave school for something like that, and by summer I hope any problems between us will be resolved."

Betty hid her sigh by looking away, before replying. "Only to be replaced by new ones, Kim, that's the way life goes. Still, I hope you're being honest about telling Ron the truth, it'll hurt him more if it comes from another source."

Kim shook her head. "No one knows but you, me and Professor Bortell. And I've kind of made sure there hasn't been an opportunity for Ron to hear it from him, the Professor has been known to be kinda loose-lipped, you know?" Then she looked at Betty with a worried expression. "You're not saying you'd tell him, are you?"

Betty tried to ignore the implied lack of trust, but it did hurt a bit. _"Even though I warned her myself that in certain areas I might not be truly honest with her! And almost asked if keeping Ron away from Professor Bortell was why she didn't return the data Drakken stole the one time, but that was before she installed...or whatever?" _"Kim, how exactly did you get Ron's half of the Dream Link into his head?" She asked with a frown.

Now Kim really looked ashamed, head down, feet shuffling uneasily. "It was _too_ easy for me, Ma'am..." Her voice faded as she muttered more, then seeming to become aware of it, she repeated herself louder, with a tear forming in one eye, "Because he trusts me, Ma'am, obviously more then I deserve."

00000000000

"So, are you mad?" Shego asked Bernie. The thief was leaning against the wall outside the bathroom of their shared hotel room. She could hear Bernie moving around inside. Shego was dressed in one of the hotels' courtesy robes, though her hair was done up for a night of clubbing she hoped had not been canceled due to Drakken's little gaffe.

"No. Not mad at all, and only a little disappointed." Came the reply. "I hate to say it, Shego, I really, really, do, but building trust with you is...damn!"

Unoffended, Shego responded, "Damn Hard, you mean? That doesn't surprise me a bit. _I'd_ have trouble trusting someone with my reputation!" She paused with a bemused frown on her face. "In fact, I'd _never_ trust someone with my rep!" She made the last a crack, but there was something underlying the wit, a hint of sorrow.

Silence followed for a brief period, before Shego commented "I can almost hear your brains rattling in your head while you're shaking it."

"Funny." The bathroom door opened and Bernie emerged, clad in the other hotel robe. Shego noted hopefully that her hair was made up, as well. "So, we still going out, meet those two guys from the beach?" the no longer quite-so-pale thief asked.

"The first, yes." Bernie replied, a frown appearing on her face as she looked at her bed. "The second I'm not so sure of..."

Shego smirked. "Why not? We've seen what they've got to offer. _All_ they have to offer!" She added, to see if she could get a blush out of Bernie. But the nurse continued to frown as she looked around the room.

"What happened to the clothes I bought for tonight?" She asked in puzzlement.

Shego smiled. _"Didn't jump to the obvious conclusion! Which...happens to be true, but still..." _Aloud, she said "Oh, you mean the long sleeved shirt and the jeans? No way I could be seen in public, and in a nightclub, with someone dressed _that_ plainly! Found you something much better!" She had walked around to the far side of both twin beds as she spoke, and now produced two shopping bags from behind hers.

Now Bernie gave her a wary look. "Shego..." Then she dropped her eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it before again meeting Shego's gaze. "I know I'm your first 'girlfriend' since before you got your powers, you pretty much implied it earlier. And truthfully, I'd really like to indulge you, but..." She paused, noting Shego was hanging anxiously on every word, "I think I need to draw the line somewhere." Then she shrugged, "Starting tomorrow, I guess. Let me see the clothes."

Shego grinned, placing one bag on the bed while opening the other and producing a short white dress. "This should show off your new tan, and your legs." She announced, then held up her hands to forestall Bernie from responding. "As to your foot obsession..." She bent down and picked something off the floor. "These should cover that problem nicely...you have worn heels before, haven't you?" 'These' were a pair of low boots with inch-and-a-half heels, also in white. They appeared to be of soft fabric rather then leather, and had zippers on the side.

Bernie blinked in surprise for a moment before responding "Well—er, not in a while, but I might be able to manage." Then the wary look returned to her eyes. "Hold that dress up again, in front of the light from the balcony door." She requested. When Shego shrugged and complied, Bernie's eyes widened. "Shego!"

"What? You'll have underwear on underneath! Well, under half of it, can't wear a bra with this, unless it's strapless, and have you ever tried to buy a bra for another woman? Besides, the bodice is double thick, you can _barely_ see through it."

Bernie's mouth opened and closed several times before any words came out. "I suppose you bought underwear to go with it?" She finally got out, though it was obviously not what she had intended to say at first.

"Natch!" Shego responded, "Um, before I show you, can I get a promise from you?"

"I don't think so..." Bernie replied flatly.

"Oh. Well, in that case, you might want to sit down first. Oh, and you may need a little more razor work to go with these, if you get my drift?"

Moments later, a half-sputtering cry of "Shego!" rang out in the room. Followed shortly afterwards by: "If I go through with this, you are _so_ telling me what Doctor Drakken told you!"

After a moment's silence, Shego replied solemnly, "Deal." Then, "Would it help much if I told you my outfit is more daring then yours?"

"Not a great deal, no."

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Two evenings later, the day before New Year's Eve, the pair strolled into Drakken's Middleton Lair. "I swear, Shego! When that anorexic shoestring you called a strap broke I thought I was going to flash everyone on the dance floor!"

Shego just smiled. "Trust me, with your build, that dress was _not_ going to fall down! Besides, there were at least five other women on the dance floor going topless!"

Bernie rolled her eyes. "Yes, _intentionally_ topless! Something I did _not_ intend!" She looked around, "Not much staff here, just the one guy with the mop?"

Shego shrugged as they entered the main chamber. "Not much point in keeping a full staff on, when we're not planning evil schemes, ya know!" She looked around the chamber, then made Bernie jump when she bellowed "DOCTOR D! Where the heck are you?"

A moment later, Drakken appeared at the entrance to one of the labs, the one Bernie remembered from the time Kim had been scanned. "Shego, you startled me! Not a good idea, especially when I'm in a lab!" He said the last with a faint touch of amusement.

Shego actually looked contrite as she answered, "Sorry Doc! Indoor voice, I'll remember!"

Drakken snorted in amusement, and walked towards them. "That's all right, Shego, how was your trip?" He then added, before Shego could respond, "And that sunburn?"

Momentarily thrown off by the added question, Shego hesitated, then smiled and replied "I think that subject can be safely skipped, Doc! The trip was great, even if the main point of it was a flop."

Drakken looked at Bernie as he nodded. "Well, as long as you had a good time!" Then he looked at Shego, "Not that I object to you having company, but is there a reason Miss Barr is here?"

"Yeah, Doc, I promised her an explanation, regarding what you told me before, and after postponing it, at great discomfort to myself..." Bernie's face assumed a pink tint suddenly, "I thought it would be best to show her, the way you showed me."

Having caught the change in Bernie's complexion, Drakken looked at Shego with faint suspicion in his eyes. "I see. Well, if that's what you want, let's step into the lab." As he turned away, suspicion appeared in Shego's eyes as well. Had Drakken raised his voice just a bit on the last four words? Then Bernie distracted her by whispering in her ear "So, do we want your boss to know how ticklish you are?"

Shego flushed slightly, and Bernie stifled a giggle. Not twenty-four hours ago, Shego had dashed into their hotel room's bathroom, and exclaimed "Hey! Haven't seen that color in my face in a _long_ time!" Now, the thief quickly regained her composure, and she whispered back "As much as you'd like people to know your reaction to when you were 'twirled' on that dance floor!" And Bernie turned redder still. "I just realized suddenly how much I was showing the room! And that was your fault, you bought the underwear!" She whispered back. Shego just snorted, and then they both clammed up as they entered the lab. Shego looked around as if expecting to see something out of place, then half-shrugged and turned her attention to Drakken.

The scientist was at a console equipped with a view screen. As he typed on a keyboard, two images appeared, filling the top two thirds of the screen. They appeared to be brain scans, with front and side views. Next to each was a graph.

"Now.." Drakken began, "The top image is Shego, from four weeks ago. The important thing to look at are these blue dots scattered in these sections. The second image is of Hego, taken during my visit to Go City with Ed." He turned to Bernie, "What can you see?"

The girl shrugged. "Obviously, the blue 'dots' are almost nonexistent in Shego's brain, but Hego's brain is full of them." "Among other things.." Shego muttered behind her.

Drakken's lips quirked, but he remained serious as he nodded. "Very Good. Now..." he entered more commands and a third image appeared below the first pair. "This is what I found in Shego's brain five days ago when I checked, though I expected to find all the 'blue dots' gone." He paused, "Based on other previous scans of Shego, these aren't the only ones! Now, what do you see?"

Bernie wasn't as quick to answer this time, looking at the screen for some time before replying, "In the third image, the activity level, if that's what it is, has gone back up to...exceed the level in Hego's mind, and..." she checked the images again as Drakken patiently waited, "The graph after her first scan, and the one after Hego's, don't resemble each other at all, but the one after her second scan looks almost identical to Hego's."

Drakken looked slightly sour as he nodded. "You know, I get so little opportunity to show off my scientific acumen these days..." He sighed, "Well, very good Miss Barr, you saw all that needed to be seen."

"But what does it mean?" The nurse asked quizzically.

It was Shego who spoke first. "All I can say is, for the last week I've been feeling like I've only felt once before. And that time, Stoppable got a story out of, 'Stop Team Go'."

Bernie looked at her, brain obviously racing. "So...you feel like 'Miss Go'?"

Shego made a 'stop' hand. "Hold on! First, I _never_ acted like 'Miss Go', not in real life! But, yeah, the way I felt after Doc hit me with his copy of the 'Attitudinator', is the way I feel now. But this time, I know _why_ I'm feeling this way." She looked at her watch. "Right now, though, we need to get going, to make our reservations at the spa, and get all the crap we picked up on our little trip pummeled out of us, followed by a wrap and sauna. Which we have to get done before normal closing time, they won't stay open for just us."

"But wait!" Bernie protested, "Doctor Drakken, can you explain any of this?"

"Actually, No. I have a couple of notions, but neither is worth mentioning just now. You two run along and get 'pummeled', I have some work to do, reading a bill proposal submitted by Councilman Hoard. Then I have to call mother and tell her a few things." He didn't quite usher them to the door, but Shego regarded him with faint suspicion as she left, following Bernie out.

Drakken turned back to the screen, rubbing his chin and frowning as he studied the 3 brain scans. After a couple of minutes he became aware of movement behind him, and reached down to the keyboard, blanking the screen before entering a new command. Two more brain scans appeared, this time equally dividing the screen horizontally.

"Do you think what's in Shego's head is dangerous?" his visitor, who had hidden while Shego and Bernie were in the room, quietly asked.

Drakken hesitated, then shook his head. "I have no solid proof, but no, I don't. Now, back to our big question." He adjusted the views, zooming in on sections of both scans simultaneously. "What we see here are remnants only, remnants of technology that is identical in all respects. This technology is dead now, and I have no clue what it's function was before it was inactivated. But, I think I know where we might find one of our answers, and I believe you know where a second key answer might be found?"

Kim Possible stared at the scans of hers and Drakken's brains, then solemnly nodded. "I'm afraid I do. And I'm really afraid of what we may need to do to find out for sure."

Please Read and Review.


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

My thanks, belated in some cases, to AngusH, Michael Howard, Worker72, CajunBear73, and MaceEcam for their reviews.

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**New Year's Eve, early morning, East Coast...**

Two men recently returned to their native region after trying times in the west emerged from a donut shop adjacent to one of their favorite hang-outs, a strip club. The sun hadn't come up as yet. Both men held large espressos, and the larger one had a enormous cruller in one hand.

"Think your wife is going to give you grief about staying out all night?" The man who had once used the pseudonym of 'Mister Dyer' asked his boss, the former 'Mister Grimm'.

The bigger man shook his head, mouth too full to speak. Once he had managed to swallow, he licked some sugar glaze off his lips before replying. "Nah! Hasn't been all that bothered about it of late. Won't stay that way, of course, but for the moment I'm hassle-free." Dyer opened his mouth to comment, but was interrupted by a voice from the alley between the two buildings.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, Grimmie." The voice was female, and it's source invisible in the shadows when the two men looked for it. Both had tensed up immediately, and didn't devote all their attention to whoever had spoken. Instead, they looked cautiously all around them. Then Grimm peered suspiciously towards the alley. "This some kind of joke?" he asked angrily, "Or are you here for an audition?" A leer replaced the angry look, "Because we have real high standards at the club, you really got to measure up!"

A moment's silence, and a hint of movement, was followed by the reply, "You're the second moron recently...here's how I feel about your audition." And a hand became visible, with one digit prominent in an unmistakable gesture. But the gesture itself didn't cause near as much of a reaction in the two men as the reason it was visible, due to the hand being encased in bright green light.

"Whoa!" Grimm took a step back, squeezing his cruller so hard a large chunk broke off and fell to the ground. Dyer also stepped back, slightly farther, and a little to his left, half-shielding himself behind Grimm's larger bulk. "I know who you are, lady, and I know you're smarter then to mess with us, and who we represent!" Grimm snapped...well, grimly.

"Well, thanks for crediting me with _that_ much intelligence!" Came the sarcastic reply as Shego stepped out into the streetlight lit area at the entrance to the alley. "And you're right, I'm not dumb enough to make enemies of the mob. I'd never do something stupid like flame-broil two members of a connected family. Then again..." she paused a bit for effect, grinning wickedly, "I'd never try to cheat anyone higher up in the food chain, either! Like for instance, not reporting all the income I made out in Colorado honestly to the people who are due a percentage, for instance."

The brief appearance of a look of triumph on both men's faces quickly shifted to one of wariness for Grimm, outright nervousness for Dyer. "What's this all about, lady?" The former asked.

Shego shrugged expansively, "Oh, just a little matter of some _discrete_ construction work you guys arranged in Upperton, while you were out there. Especially disturbing if it happened to be a kind of construction that's supposed to be the exclusive purview of someone else who has an 'understanding' with your bosses."

Grimm, though worried about where the conversation was heading, couldn't help bristling. "And what do you think you're going to accomplish here? You want us to turn rat, or something!?"

Shego affected a look of shock, and placed her hand on her chest. "Moi_?_" Heaven forbid! I'd never ask you to rat on _family_ business, oh, no no no!" A predatory smile appeared, "But this wasn't family business, was it? No, this was private, so maybe your bosses won't care about the money you made off it, and banked in Barbados." She might as well have slapped both men, the way they recoiled at her last words. "Then again, they just might!" Then she smirked. "And if that's not enough, there might just be a certain video of just how a big, bad man got his kneecap dislocated! I hear the popular story is a brawl with what? Five guys with clubs? Hmm, wonder what would happen if all the guys heard that it was really a two-year.."

"All Right!" Grimm interrupted, "You made your point!" He looked up and down the street, "What do you want to know?"

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**Middleton, Colorado, a few hours later...**

"Well, well, what brings you here at this hour?" Loretta Load greeted Bernadette Barr as she answered her front door to find the nurse standing there.

Bernie smiled warmly. "Morning, Chief! Actually, I'm here to try and speak to your genius son, if he's up?"

Loretta nodded. "Oh, he's up, all right! And knock that 'Chief' crap off, young lady!" She ushered Bernie in, after the younger woman did a thorough job of kicking the slush off her boots first. Bernie noticed that when Mrs Load closed the door, it made a louder noise then might have been expected. She also noticed that it had three locks, and a small data screen mounted on it. "Nice and secure?" she asked Loretta, gesturing at the door.

"Have to be, my boy is worth some money, in more ways then one. This way to his lair." Loretta led Bernie upstairs. "Whole second floor is basically his," She explained, "His father and I sleep in the downstairs bedroom, _when_ that man makes it home!" She added in exasperation. Bernie was impressed, the second floor was rather large. "Bedroom to the right, bathroom straight ahead, workshop and all his computers to the left. And that's where he is about 18 to 20 hours a day, near as I can tell. I'd say 24, if I thought that was possible!"

She went to the door on the left, and walked straight in. Wade was hunched over his keyboards, fingers dancing across them, eyes intent on the data scrolling across the screen. Loretta stood with her arms folded for about a minute before clearing her throat. "You are planning to greet your guest sometime soon, I hope?"

"Hi Mom, Hi Miss Barr, just a second!" Was the reply, Wade's eyes never leaving the screen as he spoke. Loretta exchanged looks with Bernie, and rolled her eyes. "He knew we were coming up, knew the moment you arrived on the stoop. Pretty near impossible to surprise my boy!" Then a sly look came into her eyes. "But I can still manage it, when I really want to."

Wade finished whatever he was working on at turned to face them. "You here to ask what I found out about Myron?" He asked Bernie.

She nodded. "First, have you got a picture of him? I think I do, but it's got problems."

Wade nodded and turned back to the computer. He quickly brought up a picture of Myron, and Bernie nodded. "Was it out of focus?"

"Actually, a bit too focused." Bernie replied, and both Loads gave her a quizzical look. "Never mind, did you manage to find out more about his travels?"

"Yep! He's been taking quite a few trips lately, and using a lot of aliases. Myron D. Tudsay and Myron Derbart are the ones he uses most. He has credit cards in both names drawing on the D.I.C.K. Accounts."

"He's using corporate money to run around on his wife?" Bernie asked incredulously. "Myron D. Tudsay? Pig Latin? He's got...Derbart? He corrected the waiter's pronunciation, me and Shego were at the next table, but don' think he knew it. Hold on..." She frowned in concentration, "_Der bart, _in German, is 'the beard', or 'the bearded'."

They all looked at the picture of Myron on the screen. "'Myron De Stud'? No comment! 'Myron the bearded'?" Loretta shook her head, "He can not be that proud of _that_ chin-warmer!"

"Maybe not..." Bernie said thoughtfully, "But there are other definitions of 'beard', that have nothing to do with hair on a man's face."

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Kim sat tensely observing Ron as he turned the Dream Link control over in his hands. Her stomach was in a knot, and she had both cheeks sucked in and gripped in her teeth as she waited for his reaction to what she'd just told him. Just how angry was he going to be? They were sitting in the Sloth, which still sat in the Possible garage.

"So..." Ron finally said, "This thing allows you to hook us up so we share dreams whenever we want to?" He looked at Kim, who nodded tightly, even as her brain registered the 'we' as unexpected. Ron looked at the device again. Then he grinned. "Badical!"

Kim blinked rapidly for a moment, as her jaw slowly dropped. It took her a moment to recover the power of speech, and even then it was tenuous. "B—ba—badical? R—Ron, aren't you angry?" She asked incredulously.

"Huh?" She saw that his puzzlement was genuine, which made the whole thing more surreal. "Why? I mean, there have been a couple of times that sharing dreams may have been awkward, but really, it's so cool!" He suddenly looked concerned. "Um, Kim, you weren't in that dream I had the night before last?"

"Uh—No, I..."

"Because that was totally _not_ the kind of thing I dream about regularly!"

"Ron, I wasn't.."

"It's just, I had to check some on-line stuff out about you, that was too adult for Wade to read!"

"Ron, I--Huh, what? Adult stuff?"

"Yeah, I'm not the only guy who writes stories about you! I mean, it happens with celebrities a lot! And you're one! A celebrity, I mean! Most of it is just fantasy stuff, I never think of that sort of thing!"

"Oh, Really?"

"Of course not! I mean, that dream...okay, I read that one 'Kigo' story, but just one, honest!"

"Kigo?"

"Yeah, you know..." then he paused, wincing, "Orrrr, you don't know...er, what were we talking about before?"

Kim blinked again, then smacked her forehead. "Why aren't you mad about me doing this to you!" She now smacked her hand over her mouth. She could almost hear echoes in the Sloth's interior from her shout. "Sorry, indoor voice."

Ron shook his head, then smoothed his hair down again. "_Hello_, not mad because you did the right thing? You were right on about how little I'd have helped you deal with this thing! I told Wade and Felix I'd have given you bad advice if you'd told me about this before, and I meant it! You're right, I would have been happy to help you hide from your problem, rather then make you face it." He paused then shrugged, "If I even let myself believe in you having a 'problem' seriously! That idea scares me so much, and I'm not sure why, but I think I would have taken a trip down 'De Nial' rather then believe it! I love you, KP, but sometimes I don't know how to help you, I was actually kinda glad when you decided to go to a shrink."

Kim just looked at him for a moment, and her eyes grew wet. "Looks like you have a better idea of your own limits then I do mine, Ron Stoppable! And I love you, too!" She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Sometimes you are the best thing in the world for me." She whispered.

"But not always?" Ron asked in a tone that showed he wasn't offended, "That's okay, I is who I is, and I know that I don't deal with some kinda things too well when they're _my_ problems, I'd be terrible helping someone else who has the same problems. I know, you need someone to be hard on you at times, and I can't do that! But to tell the truth, I always thought you were hard enough on yourself for both of us!"

Kim snorted softly. "_So_ not hard enough! Or maybe not hard enough in the right ways!" She sighed, and snuggled tighter against his chest.

Ron held her for a moment in silence, then cleared his throat. "I suppose I should tell you that I saw a dream of yours, too. I thought it should have been a nightmare, but it just didn't seem to be one to you."

Kim pulled back and wiped her eyes as she nodded. "The link sometimes could work in reverse, and it has a range limit of a few miles, so we shared a couple of my dreams, too, but I don't remember any that were nightmares...except maybe the karaoke bar one..." She winced, "For which I heartily apologize!"

Ron shook his head, grinning briefly before becoming serious. "No, I wasn't actually 'in' this one! You were...it was like you'd changed places with Melinda Hunter, taking care of this beautiful little baby girl, a 'mini-Kim'. And I thought it should be a nightmare, because you only had one arm, but...it felt different, somehow."

"Oh." Kim responded in a quiet voice. "I had a few like that. I was a paraplegic in a couple, and even a quadriplegic in one. Deaf, lame...even lost an eye. But in all of them, I was...adjusted, even happy, dealing with life. Doctor Cardien helped me figure it out, though in a way it was obvious. They all had me in a situation where I couldn't go on missions anymore. Where I couldn't get hurt anymore, run into whatever was scaring me, that's all. I remember that one, and the baby." She smiled, blushing, "She was beautiful, wasn't she?"

"Just like her mother," Ron replied, and kissed Kim on the nose, "Just like a little girl I hope we have some day." And Kim's blush deepened, before she kissed him right back, a slow, toe-curling kiss if ever there was one. The she pulled back awkwardly. "Think we had better get out before the windows steam up, and someone notices!" She turned to open her own door, then looked back at him, "But don't think I'm not going to ask you about that 'Kigo' thing later, Ron."

Ron swallowed nervously, while Kim got out, calling back to him, "Now let's get going! We need to get ready for the party, Potential Boy!"

"On it, KP!"

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"So, you understand exactly what I'm asking you to look for, and where?" Drakken asked as he hurried through his lair towards his quarters to change for the party.

"Oh, yes, Sir!" Hank Perkins replied as he tried to keep up with the scientist, "You can count on me, Sir!"

"Hmm. Well, in any event here is a check that should be enough to cover any expenses you may incur." Drakken took the item in question from his pocket and handed it to Perkins. " I trust it's enough?"

Perkins' smile remained cheerful as he read the amount. "Oh, yes Sir! I'm used to traveling tourist class, this should be plenty!"

Drakken stopped and gave him a suspicious look. "That's not a ploy to get more expense money, is it?"

Perkins shook his head vehemently. "Oh, No Sir! As I stated, this is more then sufficient for my needs!"

Drakken continued to gaze into Perkins' eyes for a moment longer, then nodded grudgingly. "Very well. You can find your own way out, I trust?"

"Oh, certainly, Sir! I'll get going right now!" Hank backed away a few steps before spinning and hurrying towards the lair's exit. Drakken watched him go, certain that he'd missed something, but then checked his watch, shrugged, and continued to his quarters.

As Hank Perkins exited the lair, he stopped and exhaled loudly. He looked at the check again, then reached in his pocket and produced yet another check. "Imagine, getting hired by two different people on the same day to do the same thing!" He wondered aloud. Then he frowned. "I wonder if this is in any way unethical?" Then he shrugged. "Well, I didn't intern as a henchman for nothing!"

He began to whistle as he walked towards his car.

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"By the way, I'm going to be on GAP tonight." Shego looked up as Bernie's voice came from her bathroom, breaking her train of thought concerning her little jaunt to the East coast. Shego sat on the edge of Bernie's bed, wearing a black dress in the style of the 1920s young and active set. Her long hair didn't go with the period, but there were only so many sacrifices she'd make for a costume party. Now she frowned briefly, before saying "All, right, I give up, GAP?"

"Ginger Ale Patrol. You know.."

Shego interrupted, nodding. "Yeah, yeah! I get it, you're in charge of making sure none of the younger set have the hard stuff in their glasses at midnight."

"Unless their parents are present and verbally give permission, directly to me." Bernie clarified as she walked into the room. She was wearing period underwear, somewhat on the flimsy side in appearance. Shego caught her eyes involuntarily drifting downwards toward the other woman's foot before she could stop herself. _"Damn! Why can't I get the morbid fascination under control?" _she chided herself. She studied Bernie, who seemed more preoccupied then Shego had ever seen her. "Are you having any regrets about our little trip? I mean, it was kinda rude to haul you off my plane and have you on that beach barely an hour later, but I did have reasons."

Bernie paused in the act of picking her dress up off the bed, then sighed. "To tell you the truth..." She paused, "Oh, never mind."

Shego frowned. "No, what? Come on, tell me! Something else I did? Keeping it a secret that I was there to spy on Myron?"

"No!" Bernie snapped, then winced. "Sorry! But truthfully, the only thing that bothers me about that was the fact that you're the first person to talk me out of my clothes in over three years!" She snorted, "And not for the usual reason, even!"

Shego's jaw dropped. Then she snapped it shut and stood silently as Bernie donned her dress, then helped her fasten it up. "So, it isn't the foot that's been holding you back?"

Bernie shook her head. "No, I just...my mother was always trying to find out if I was seeing anyone, and I stonewalled her in just the right way that she assumed there _was_ someone, but I was being secretive. I just couldn't explain why I couldn't...hook up! But it was easier to fend Mom off after losing the foot, I'll admit. Now she's hesitant to push me into something, for fear I'll get hurt."

"Not to get personal, but was it a guy?" Shego asked. Bernie was momentarily startled as she adjusted a cloche hat over her hair, then she smiled. "Was wondering when I gave you any indication I went the other way! Yep, it was a guy...and it was fun, while we were actually making love, but afterwards...it felt so awkward! Felt that way beforehand, too. First time, heh."

"Didn't lose it in High School, huh?" Shego asked. The thief was studying her own long hair in Bernie's full length mirror, then Bernie's shorter hair. Now done up in a '20s bob cut. Another thing Shego had had to do since her color 'normalized' was replace most of her make-up, and she had considered doing something with her hair, but held off. Not that it would take her long to grow it back again, but she didn't want to appear insecure about her appearance. She suddenly snorted. _"So what's all this, then? Had the same look for so long, when I wasn't disguised, now I'm thinking about appearances again!" _She noticed Bernie studying her curiously, and grinned. "Ignore me, had a blond moment there, I think!"

Bernie shook her head. "The answer to your question is 'no', by the way. In High School, I was the 'rich guy's daughter', the 'weird jock', and the girl who beat up a potential kidnapper with my baton when I was nine. Not great date material! The incident when babysitting Bonnie didn't help much, either!"

"And I was the weird girl who wanted to run back to the orphanage to check on the boys, rather then get a soda or some fast food, even when someone else was buying." Shego remarked, "Most of the others who went to the school from the orphanage used all the time their curfews allowed having fun. Or just hanging out anywhere else!" She shook her head sadly. "And then the powers, and Doctor D thinks this stuff in my head came with them."

"And did he figure out exactly what that 'stuff' does?"

"Nope! But I think me and Elizabeth Cardien did." That caused a raised eyebrow. "We talked about how I felt about things before and after I got my powers. The differences between before and after, that is. This was during our regular sessions, before I knew something might be affecting my behavior. Wait—I think It's better if I start with some info I bought concerning the Attitudinator."

Bernie sat down on the bed, while Shego took a seat in the easy chair beside it. "To start with, Jack Hench didn't develop the machine, he bought it, from someone who 'found' it. It was damaged goods, and Jack didn't pay much for it, but it fascinated his scientists. He spent a lot of money trying to duplicate it, but for some reason he couldn't get it right. He tested it on human subjects, and noticed a personality change in almost all of them. They all started breaking rules, and laws, where previously they wouldn't have. I mean, they broke Hench's employee conduct rules, and that was asking for trouble!"

"Anyway, the bottom line is they started showing 'criminal' tendencies. Hench had to decide whether to pour money into the machine or not, so he decided to see if there was a market for it. He put it on display at the trade show, and advertised it rather vaguely as causing people to become criminals. Sort of truth in advertising, you _could_ say. Anyway, Doctor D scanned a lot of things at the show, to see if he could build duplicates in his own lab. And one he built successfully was the Attitudinator. But, he couldn't duplicate everything, if my theory is right."

"But the bottom line is it didn't make people do 'evil' things, it made them do criminal things, or at least break rules?" Bernie asked for clarification.

Shego shook her head. "'Make' is too strong. No, it just made them feel good about breaking rules and laws. I can testify to that, after my talks with Doc Cardien. See, what drove me away from Team Go was a lot of things, but I now realize I suddenly _did_ get a sense of anticipation when I thought of breaking rules, and if I did, I got a sense of satisfaction. It felt _good_ to do those things! But now, I feel the opposite, and I felt the same way after the Attitudinator zapping." She shifted her psoition a bit as if uncomfortable before continuing, "See, we had Stoppable as a prisoner at the time. Kimmie was off on a week-long trip he couldn't go on, and he apparently got so bored he decided to break into the lair!"

"Ron bored?" Bernie blurted incredulously, "Ron can occupy himself with...just about anything! How could he have gotten...oh, wait. He missed Kim, and he usually broke into lairs _with_ Kim...okay, that makes sense in a Ronish way."

Shego smirked. "Yeah, well, we had him, let's leave it at that! Anyway, Draken was playing with his new machine. He actually fired it at Ron, but nothing happened. Then he accidentally hit me with it, also with no result! But after fiddling with the controls, he did it again!" She shook her head, "I got mad the first time, and the second one didn't change that, but my feelings changed. I mean, I wasn't serious when I thought about killing him after the first time, I was just mad, you know? But when I thought it again after the second zapping, I had a strong negative reaction. Which puzzled me so much I didn't even singe him!"

"Killing would be breaking a law, for sure." Bernie observed, "So after the first 'zap', you knew in your own mind you weren't serious, but after the second, you took yourself seriously, or something? You're going to tell me you now feel urges to uphold the law, aren't you?"

Shego shrugged. "More or less, yeah. But I know they're not my own feelings now, so I can ignore them easily when I want to. Of course, that means I could have ignored the urges to be bad the first time, if I wanted to. But I didn't, I went with them. I could say that it was just because I was a teenage girl who wasn't as mature as I thought I was, and I just did what felt good to me, but that's letting myself off too easily."

"Well, finish the Attitudinator story." Bernie asked, as she looked at the clock, "We don't have much time. So, you suddenly felt like upholding the law, or sticking to the laws was right? Did you feel guilty about what you'd done before, all your crimes?"

Shego nodded. "Yeah, but the feelings were wrong, in some way. I mean, I knew nothing should have made my feelings change so radically. So, I bought into the idea that the machine had done it. But I avoided things by storming off, because I was still mad, trust me!" She grew thoughtful as she continued, "When I was alone, I started thinking. I started thinking that it was wrong to keep Stoppable locked up. I thought I had messed up my life, where the day before I had been perfectly happy with the way things were going. And now I know something was making me ignore my feelings about my family. Or believe it, anyway. I actually found m self confessing my confusion to Stoppable, and I think he thought I was nuts, or tricking him. Of course, he eventually decided it was the machine's fault, too." She paused. "And he...I let him out, didn't even realize I'd done it, believe it or not! And he reset the machine to the original settings, which he'd seen and memorized, and zapped me again. And I was back to normal. I was messed up for several hours, by the way, before this happened. And I let him go, out of gratitude, grudging as it may have been."

"Why did Ron switch you back to 'normal', though, rather then let you stay 'good', as he saw it?" Shego got the impression Bernie knew the answer already, but said it aloud nonetheless.

"He didn't think it was right for someone to be 'mind-controlled', no matter how it made them act. That's what he thought was going on. But I wasn't controlled at all! 'Influenced' is as far as I'll go, and I may be giving this stuff in my head more credit then it deserves even going that far." Shego stood up and collected her own hat from the bed. "Whatever this stuff is, it didn't make me a criminal. Or maybe it did, influencing a young girl, but I'm an adult now, and I can't blame 'mind-control' for my actions."

Bernie stood up as well. "So, those graphs besides the scans Doctor Drakken took showed which way you were being influenced, in a way? But, is it one batch of 'stuff', that goes back and forth? There's a lot of questions you still haven't answered, if you have the answers. Why is Hego's 'stuff' still going strong? And what about your other brothers?"

"Mego only had traces of it in his brain, a few sparks, nothing more. And there was no sign it had ever been in either of the Wegos. As to Hego? Maybe because the stuff isn't in conflict with his basic personality. He's always been a guy who obeys all the rules, and the laws. How does the stuff know what's lawful, and what isn't?" Shego shrugged, "No clue! Got a bunch of information and supposition, that's all."

Bernie thought for a moment, then responded, "Well, you would 'feel' whether something was good or evil, you would 'know' if it was against the law or not, maybe it's not based on feelings, but does manipulate emotions to try and make you do things you _know_ are wrong, or...okay, maybe this works better: It uses _your_ knowledge of the law, and makes you feel good or bad about whichever way it wants you to go...now my head's beginning to hurt!"

Shego smiled sourly. "Welcome to the club! Let's forget this, and get to the party. Maybe the New Year will bring enlightenment."

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Looking like this and the next chapter will be short ones. We'll have the party next time. As to the Villains' party Shego intended to go to? Someone tipped Global Justice on it's location, too late to change it. Probably the Author, when he realize dhe wanted Shego at the Barr party, but I'm just guessing.

Please Read and Review


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

I'd like to thank CajunBear73, King in Yellow, Michael Howard, and Dhoom for their reviews of the last chapter. I greatly appreciate them.

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"So, have you read any of these stories people write about you on the Internet?" Monique asked Kim as the pair and Bonnie huddled in one corner of the Barr mansion's main entry hall. There were already more then a hundred guests present, mostly just in period clothes, but some in costumes. Such as Ron, who was dressed as 'The Sheik'. And who had assured Kim it was not a ploy to get her to wear a harem outfit. Especially since her parents were in attendance.

James and Anne were following the theme of their Halloween costumes, though this time they were dressed like archetypal Hollywood explorers from the early movies, in neat explorer khakis complete with Pith helmets. James even had a monocle, which Anne was still trying to help him keep in place, though he couldn't seem to get the hang of it.

Kim shook her head. "I never read that kind of stuff, Mon. I have to admit I'm a little sensitive about my public rep, and a few things I read early on made me get a bit obsessive about some little things. Fortunately Ron helped me snap out of it. Mostly by demonstrating his own brand of trivial obsession! Anyway, I'm not sure I want to read what some people's fantasies about me might be!"

"Maybe I should have hung around Stoppable a bit more myself." Bonnie commented, "Maybe he'd have cured me of my habit, too!" She looked around the room, then said, "Think the Mankeys are going to show, Monique?"

Monique's lips twitched a bit. She would have smiled, but since she was exchanging looks with a guy across the room, it might have been misinterpreted. "Not likely, Bon! IN fact, I'd be surprised if Josh is still in school when the holidays are over!"

Kim looked back and forth between the two, confused and curious. "What? Why wouldn't he be? What did I miss?"

Both of her companions rolled there eyes. "Apparently, just about everything!" Monique quipped with a grin, which quickly faded. "Of course, you've had a lot on your mind lately, so you probably haven't had the time..."

Kim waved both hands in a dismissive gesture. "Don't apologize, Mon, just dish! What's up with Josh?"

Monique hesitated, then her grin reappeared. "Well, it seems Josh is going to be a daddy!" Kim's eyes almost popped out of their sockets, while Bonnie nodded vigorously, and added "And get this, it's an older woman!"

Across the room, Jean Stoppable addressed her son. "Kim looks pretty happy tonight, Ron." Ron who was trying to find a movement that synced with the '20s music that was playing, looked over at the gaggle of gossiping girls, and nodded, noting Kim's astonished look as Monique and Bonnie alternated talking to her. "Yep, she's getting back to normal, Mom." Then he paused, "Well, maybe not normal, exactly, but she's doing all right."

A few moments later his BFGF parted company with her friends and came over to talk to him, a wide smile on her face as she pecked him on the cheek. Then a curious look appeared. "Did you know Josh Mankey was 18, Ron?"

He nodded. "Sure! He had to retake freshman year, because he got sick and missed three months, or something! His birthday was November 2nd. The guys think he got a real special birthday present, but I don't know what it was."

Kim smirked. "I have a hunch I know what it was, and he got a bit careless with it!" Then she blushed slightly, "Uh, let's forget that! Having a good time?"

"Oh, yeah! I'm all about having the good time, KP, you know that!" Then he looked over her shoulder, and his jaw sagged, "KP, take a deep breath and let it out before you look at who just came in!"

Kim chose to just turn around, and her jaw dropped too. Then she snorted in amusement. "That's probably all your fault!" She whispered to Ron.

"Huh?" Ron replied, puzzled. Then his face brightened. "Oh, right! 'Showdown at the Crooked D! But not sure if I want to take all the—um, credit?"

Doctor Drakken was decked out in a 1920s' Hollywood-style cowboy outfit, complete with oversize chaps and white ten-gallon hat. He was being greeted at the door by Big Ed Barr, who was dressed like a prosperous banker of the period.

"Actually," Came Shego's voice from behind them, "He originally wanted to attend as 'The Sheik', himself, but caught wind of Stoppable's intentions to do so, and made the switch at the last minute." They turned to see the (ex?)villainess speaking to them, but keeping an eye on a quartet dressed as Keystone Kops passing by, twirling either their batons or the tips of their mustaches as they sauntered through the ceowd.

"Don't worry, Shego." Bernie assured her as she too joined the group, "This time, it _is_ brother Joe and his frat cronies in those get-ups."

"They going to cause trouble this time?" Shego asked suspiciously as she continued to track their progress.

"Not on New Year's, no. They don't want to get tossed before the toast, and Joe doesn't want to get Dad mad or he might find himself not having much fun after midnight, either!" Suddenly she frowned. "By the way, didn't you have another party to attend tonight?"

Shego made a face as she shrugged, "Meh, it was canceled, GJ got wind of the location, and we never reschedule on the fly, too many security issues! Too bad, it could have been a good one." Then she drifted away, still a little too uncomfortable hanging around Kim peacefully.

She was shortly replaced by Drakken himself, causing Ron to lead Kim to the living room, where a couple were teaching anyone who wished how to do some twenties dances. Within a few minutes, the pair, along with Bonnie and Monique were doing an energetic Charleston, along with a dozen others.

"Ah, youth!" James Possible remarked to his wife, "You know, I don't believe I ever attempted the Charleston!"

"And you're not going to try it tonight in those boots, James Possible!" Anne replied with a stern look, before smiling, "Though I haven't had much chance to talk to Doctor Loomis in person since you recovered from your skiing experience, maybe I should look for a chance to catch up!"

James winced slightly at the mention of his chiropractor, then nodded. "Point well served, Dear!"

"Besides," Anne spoke softly in his ear, "If you want to do something vigorous to celebrate the New Year...."

James eyebrows raised, and his face darkened slightly. "Which of us should make the appointment with Doctor Loomis for afterwards, Dear? And who gets to explain the cause of my problem?" He smiled in quiet satisfaction as Anne blushed, too.

The shortage of limber males meant that there was a disproportionate number of females involved in the dancing, and much switching of partners. Ron and Monique stepped out for a breather and stood on the sidelines watching Kim and Bonnie go at it. "Is it just me, or have those two somehow turned this into another competition?" Monique asked Ron. When the red-faced boy just smiled and shook his head, she asked another question. "So, Kim found out about 'Kigo', huh?"

Ron's jaw dropped. "Y—you know about Kigo?!" He replied, fortunately keeping the volume under control.

"Uh huh." Monique replied, she sipped from a cup of fruit punch before adding, "And I know about 'Mongo', too." She looked down at her chest, "Though the one where these were 38DDs was just sick."

Ron swallowed nervously. "Doesn't ring a bell!" Then a thoughtful look came over his face. "Um, Monique, shouldn't I know Kim's size? I mean, in case I ever wanted to buy her...um, you know?"

Monique looked at him a moment askance, then rolled her eyes. "Okay, Ron, First, you don't buy the lingerie, she does, or at least any that has to be the right size, trust me! Second, you already know the answer to what her size is!"

Ron looked puzzled. "I do?"

Monique gave him a stern look. "Uh huh, the answer is: 'The right size for you', correct?"

Ron blinked, then nodded vigorously. "Right! Silly me!"

Monique nodded approvingly, "That's my good Ronique stud!" Then she burst into giggles at the look _that_ brought to Ron's face. She tried to stifle them as Kim and Bonnie came over, but couldn't, and Ron's face grew redder in anticipation of Kim asking the obvious question...but then her attention shifted away from him, and he followed her gaze to see his mom and Drakken being ushered through a doorway by Ed Barr. Both teens scowled, and spoke simultaneously, "What's that about?" Bonnie and Monique tied on the "Jinx!"

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Elsewhere in Middleton, a suspicious truck cruised through a residential neighborhood. A large Box truck, it was painted black overall, with gold lettering on the driver's door: **After Dark Express**. The driver hunched over the steering wheel, a billed cap pulled low over his eyes, reading house numbers as he passed them. Suddenly spotting the one he wanted, he swung the truck into the curb in front of the house. Then he emerged from the cab, looking up and down the street cautiously. Studying the house and seeing lights on inside, he rubbed his hands together, then moved quickly to the rear of the truck.

Instead of the normal roll-up door, however, he pressed a concealed switch and opened a man sized door. As two steps extended down from it to allow easy access, the mystery figure snickered gleefully, then leaped up the stairs. The door closed as he entered the cargo box.

Minutes a later, a series of clicks sounded, and the 'box' began to slide rearward, proving to be a metal outer shell over a transparent inner shell. Two supports with wheels at the bottom swung down to support the metal shell, which finally stopped, having slid almost it's own length beyond the end of the truck.

For a few moments, all was quiet. Then dazzling light suddenly flared within the transparent shell, and a low hum filled the neighborhood.

And then came a voice....

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"It is a matter of some concern, you understand..." Ed Barr said to Drakken as they entered his study. Three men were already there, all members of the Middleton City Council, as well as the city's chief legal counsel, Courtland A. Peel, who glowered at Drakken, and showed little more welcome to Jean Stoppable.

Glaring at Ed Barr, he thundered, "Have you told them? Have you asked _him_?" Indicating Drakken, and continuing before Ed could reply, "Four families, completely vanished! The Mayor, School Superintendent, and two council members, all up and vanishing overnight! I tell you, I knew there was going to be trouble, as soon as _he_ entered the Mayoral race!"

"Calm down, Courtland," Ed replied, in a soothing tone, "I've explained the situation to the Mayor, and.." But Peel cut him off, still angry.

"And have you asked for an explanation? Well? I'll calm down when I hear something that satisfies me, and that's.."

"Quite enough!" Ed Barr snapped, eyes suddenly as hard as his voice, which cut Peel off cold, and seemed to miraculously douse his anger at the same time. "This is my home, Courtland, and you'll behave civilly here, or never be welcome here again! Do I make myself clear?"

Courtland Peel, suddenly very calm, nodded. "Certainly Ed, I apologize for the outburst." The Councilmen were all looking at Peel with either pity or sympathy,or possibly a mix of both.

"I think we should all sit and discuss this calmly, gentlemen...and lady." Ed nodded to Jean, who nodded back, though a small frown was on her face. "Do we have any idea at all whether there was foul play involved?"

Ed shook his head. "The Upperton Police claim to be baffled. The State's Attorney's Office is already involved, though, due to their investigation of the Mayor and the Superintendent. I wasn't aware whether any council members were involved in those matters concerning the Trust, though." He looked questioningly at Drew.

Drakken shrugged. "As far as I know, only the first two were involved in the financial mismanagement! The news is a surprise to me, I assure you." He directed a steady gaze at Peel, who shifted uncomfortably.

Ed vented an exasperated sigh. "Well, that wasn't the matter I wished to discuss with you, in any event. Though the disappearance of fifteen people, pets and all, is quite disturbing!"

Drakken looked at him curiously. "Pets and all?"

Barr nodded. "Yes. Makes it look more like a voluntary departure then a kidnapping doesn't it?" The men in the room all nodded agreement, Peel a trifle dubiously.

"Yes it does, but what was the matter you _did _want to discuss?" Drakken asked curiously.

Ed Barr clapped his hands and nodded, smiling. "Ah! Well, firstly, good work trying to recreate the Tri-Cities School District, Mister Mayor! Hopefully that will still occur, despite these odd developments!" He paused, looking at the three councilmen and Peel before continuing. "In fact, we've been wondering if we should take the idea a bit farther, and unite the three cities under a single municipal government."

Drakken blinked, momentarily nonplussed. Jean almost spoke, before realizing that she'd probably stutter if she did, and took a moment to compose herself before asking "Is there a precedent for such a thing?"

Peel spoke up first. "Well, certainly there _are_ precedents, but I don't believe any of the pre-existing ones apply here. However, I will look into the matter, if that is Ed---the Mayor's wish?" He corrected himself gracelessly as he remembered he represented the city, not Ed Barr.

Drakken seemed to consider it for a moment. "I'm not sure..." He finally answered, "Is there a reasonable chance that it could be done? Personally, having made a study of the infrastructure involved, I doubt it would improve the situation in any of the three cities involved."

Ed Barr's eyebrow raised. "Really? You _don't_ think it's a good idea?" Everyone else save Jean Stoppable seemed to hold their breath as Drakken appeared to mull over his reply. Then he shook his head. "No, I really think things are better as they are, Edward."

Ed continued to regard Drakken for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. "I see..." Then he looked at a clock sitting on his desk, and smiled. "Gentlemen and lady, we had better return to the party, we only have five minutes to fill our glasses before midnight strikes!"

As they filed out, Jean drew Drakken a little to the side. "Drew, do you have any idea what's going on in Upperton?" She asked quietly.

"Hmmm? Oh, well, I know what was _supposed_ to happen up there." He replied, smiling faintly, "Let's just say a little 'hostile takeover' of sorts _isn't_ going to be happening, and leave it at that for the moment, please?"

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"I see no reason you shouldn't have champagne, Ronald." Dean Stoppable told his son, smiling, "I think you're man enough, son!"

"Welll...if KP does, I will!" Ron replied with a grin. He turned to Kim, who considered it, but then shook her head. "I think that's another thing I'll wait to enjoy until I'm eighteen."

Ron turned to the young woman acting as server. "You heard the Lady! Two Ginger Ales, if you please!" He said in his best portentous voice. The server smiled and handed them each a champagne glass full of their beverage of choice, then gave Ron's parents, Jean having just joined them, each a glass of champagne. Kim's parents joined them as well, while Kim spotted Bonnie being drawn into the Rockwaller family huddle with extreme reluctance. Her two sisters had been unhappy to wear the same flapper dresses they'd worn on Halloween, but the party, and probably a bit of bubbly, had cheered them up.

Ron hooked one arm through Kim's and held his glass up with the other, and Kim followed suit. Monique came over and Kim eyed her glass dubiously, but Monique refused to make eye contact. Then a hand plucked the glass from Monique's hand and replaced it with another, and Bernie swept past, wagging a finger in the girl's face as she moved away with the champagne. Monique pouted, then saw Kim grinning at her, and snorted, then raised her ginger ale as the clock began to enter the final countdown.

People began to chant out loud..."Ten...Nine...Eight...Seven...Six...Five...Four...Three...Two...One, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!"

The three teens downed their drinks in one gulp, then Mon noticed Ron looking around, before Kim nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, and as soon as his attention was on her, giving him a surprisingly mild peck on the cheek, which caused him to redden significantly. Ron had come to expect loud noises to accompany countdowns, and always seemed disappointed when they didn't occur.

Monique poked Kim. "What's with the chaste bit, you have every reason to go whole hog on the boy right now."

Kim grimaced slightly. "Nice choice of phrase, Mon! And you could say it's our own New Year's tradition, but explaining it would take..." She was interrupted by the Kimmunicator's chimes, coming from the small clutch bag she wore hanging from her shoulder. She gave her parents a sheepish look as she pulled it out and activated it, while Ron checked his watch. "Twenty-three seconds, a new record for us!" Kim repeated her elbow nudge a bit more forcefully, then looked at Wade's image on the screen. "Hey Wade, Happy New Year, and What up?"

Wade had a big smile on as he replied. "Happy New Year to you too, Kim! And Ron! And is Bonnie Rockwaller there?"

Kim's face screwed up in confusion. "Bonnie?" Monique looked over to the Rockwallers and caught Bonnie's eye. Gesturing to her to come over. A look of relief appeared on the brunette's face as she began to disengage from her family.

"What's going on, Wadester?" Ron asked, peering over Kim's shoulder. Unnoticed, Shego had drifted closer, attracted by the Kimmunicator's chimes as well.

"Well, the MPD got a disturbance call, which normally wouldn't involve you, except it's...um, not sure how to say this..." Kim's brow furrowed as she thought, then she spoke up warily. "Bonnie, disturbance involving me, it must be Junior!"

Wade responded with a sickly grin. Bonnie was now close enough to hear what followed. "He's parked in front of the Rockwaller house, in some kind of mobile stage, singing! And his voice is amplified enough to carry for blocks! But that's _not_ the weirdest part!" As Wade paused, Bonnie groaned, and Kim and Ron exchanged looks. "It's just...he's dressed...I don't know how to say this..."

"He's dressed up as the Baby New Year?" Came Shego's helpful suggestion, making Kim and Ron both jump and spin to see the thief standing behind them. Actually startled by their reaction, Shego recovered and smirked. "Problem?"

"Yes! Wait, was that Shego?" Wade was momentarily confused, then shook his head. "Yes, he is, from the image I'm getting from my surveillance drone...would you like to see it?"

Kim's and Bonnie's "NO"s were overruled by Monique's, Ron's, and Shego's affirmative responses. Wade smirked and pressed a key, and the image on the Kimmunicator changed. Five sets of eyes widened, and five jaws dropped.

Shego found her voice first. "Baby New Year crossed with 'Midnight Cowboy', I'd say! The boots and stetson...okay, but the chaps, with a diaper? Yep, the kid's lost it! Wonder if the old man wants to adopt a healthy, sane young woman?"

Monique cranked her jaw shut next. "The 'boy' may have lost his mind, but the 'man' has one smokin' bod, I have to give him that!"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but remember how shallow the brain pool is!"

Monique nodded, but didn't take her eyes off the screen. "Sometimes I can live with a dip in the shallow end!"

Kim looked at Ron. "I guess we had better go handle this." She said resignedly.

Bonnie shook her head. "No, this one's all mine, Possible! I'll take Miss Brainstruck here along as back-up, you two stay and enjoy the party. And that means joining that slow dance they're starting, get it? Come on, Mon!" She snagged Monique by one arm and began to haul her towards the door. Kim watched them go, then glanced at the dance floor, then Wade again. "Um, well, _that's_ settled, I guess! But, do you know what he's singing, Wade?"

"'Never gonna Give You Up', you want to hear it?" This time, Wade received a unanimous 'No!', which only made his grin widen as Kim signed off. The Ron offered her his arm. "Shall we, _mon _KP" Kim rolled her eyes but smiled as she accepted the proffered elbow, and the pair headed for the dance floor.

Both sets of parents were together as the two began, taking a moment to watch the young couple before joining in themselves. Then both mothers sighed, both fathers smiled, and offered their own arms, and led their spouses to the dance floor.

Standing nearby next to Doctor Drakken, Shego actually wondered..."Doctor D, not to start any rumors, but you any good at that kind of dancing?"

A quirk of the lips resulted. "I can do a mean tango, with the aid of a bit of Chablis, Shego, but never had much luck with ballroom. Caused too many sore toes, if you catch my drift."

Shego smirked. "Nevermind, then, you'd be just like the kid at Junior Prom."

"You too?" Bernie commented as she stepped up besides them. "You went to your Junior Prom?" She added curiously.

"More like I went to 'a' Junior Prom." Shego responded, "One of the consultants for Team Go thought it would help me with my adjustment issues. I hadn't really attended classes regularly since the powers, and didn't know anyone, so it was even more awkward then it had to be. Oh, but it made a great photo op: 'Team Go teens enjoy normal life, despite great responsibility!'" She snorted derisively. "Totally staged, and one more irritation that drove me away."

There was a moment of awkward silence, and Shego colored slightly. But Bernie got her off the hook. "Mayor Lipsky, why don't we give it a try? I only have one set of toes you have to worry about stepping on, might be able to work this out." Drakken raised one eyebrow, then smiled politely and offered his arm, leading Bernie to the dance floor. "Fine, leave me alone." Shego muttered, but then her lips twitched into a grin, which she hid by sipping her champagne.

Drakken decided to depart at half-past midnight, and he and Shego headed to the parking lot, with Kim, Ron, and Bernie following along, all pulling on their coats. Though their parents had given permission for the teens to stay at the party as long as they did, Kim had brought her Sloth, now properly equipped for snowy roads. And she wanted the opportunity of a leisurely drive home with her BFBF, then she'd give Hana's babysitter, Gina Leo, a ride home.

Drakken had brought the same two-seat hovercraft he'd been flying when he'd found Kim sitting in the waterpark that night. He actually offered to assist Shego into her seat, which she accepted with good grace, even though her dress wasn't that hard to maneuver in. "Well, a New Year, new possibilities, and all that!" He said as he got into the pilot's seat. He looked at Kim spculatively for a moment then sighed. "But I still can't make any promises what our relationship might be at this time next year, Kimberly, I'm sorry."

Kim couldn't think of a response, but Ron had one. "That's okay, Doc D! Maybe you'll go straight, and we'll try evil! Heheheheh!" Kim rolled her eyes, and Drakken smirked, "Well, someone has to fill in the comic-relief role for villains, after all!"

"Hey!" Ron responded in, surprisingly, mock outrage. The hovercraft rose into the air with no further comment from it's pilot, and headed towards Mount Middleton. Once they were at his desired cruising altitude, Drakken sighed. "This has been a very strange year."

Shego snorted. "Doctor D, by normal standards, most of our years have been 'strange'!"

Drakken nodded good-naturedly. "True. Did you make any Resolutions?"

"Nope, no point with my life, I never canhelp breaking the ones I make. Did you?"

"Of course! I made several, though my track record may be no better then yours at keeping them."

"Well, there's one I hope you made." Shego commented. Drakken looked at her curiously, and she explained, expression serious. "I hope you resolved never to ask me to wear a wire again!"

"It's going to be real hard to go back to the old ways if Drakken goes back to being a villain, KP." Ron commented as he wrapped his arms around the girl, both watching the receding lights from the hovercraft.

"You're right, but let's try and put off any negative thoughts for as long as possible this year, 'kay, Ron?" Kim responded, snuggling into his embrace.

"You got it, KP!" Ron responded. Bernie smiled and started to turn away from the two lovebirds, when something caught her eye. Her head snapped up, eyes widening in shock. "SAM!"

"Huh? Sam who?" Ron responded, but Kim's eyes were already following Bernie's gaze, also going wide. "Oh My God!" A small flame had appeared in the sky, rising vertically from somewhere east of them, and now arcing towards the hovercraft. As the trio watched in horror, it closed rapidly on Drakken's craft, and then a bright flash illuminated the night sky.

Out of the flash they saw the hovercraft emerge, still under some sort of tenuous control, corkscrewing erratically across the sky before suddenly plunging downwards into Middleton. There was no flash or explosion after it disappeared from sight. For a moment, all three watchers were frozen. Then...

"Come on, Ron!" Kim shouted, and dashed towards the Sloth. "Right with ya, KP!" Ron responded. "I'm coming, too!" Bernie cried. Ron held the seat out of the way as the nurse climbed into the back seat. He barely made it into his own seat before Kim had the vehicle in motion, and was just buckled in when they hit the front gate of the estate and turned onto the main road.

"Kim, I Know this is major, and you have your driver's license, but..." Bernie's concerns were cut short by Kim.

"I also passed a Pursuit Driving course at the State Police Academy!" Kim snapped grimly.

"Passed it? She aced it!" Ron exclaimed. "Clear!" he added for Kim's benefit as they came to an intersection and he checked traffic coming from the right. Bernie sat back and let them do their thing.

But then the Sloth's comm system activated, and a image of Wade Load appeared on the screen. "Kim! We've got major trouble!"

"I know!" Kim snapped tensely as she had to slow to allow a tractor trailer to negotiate a turn in front of her, "We saw Drakken get shot down!"

"WHAT!?" Wade responded in shock, before shaking his head. "No, this is different! The alarms are going off at your house, I think there's been an explosion!"

It took all of Kim's self-control not to take her eyes off the road as she responded, "What? Oh, no, TWEEBS! Wade, I can't deal with both crises at once, I...." Then she broke off, eyes widening, and couldn't help looking away from the road to meet Ron's astonished gaze, "You don't suppose...."

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"Shego?....Shego, can you *hack* hear me?....where—are we?...everything upside down...but the furnishings seem familiar...Shego?...Shego please answer me!"

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And I cruelly leave it there for the moment.

Please Read and Review.


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

I'd like to thank Katsumara, Dhoom, MaceEcam, CajunBear73, King in Yellow, Blazestryker, and Michael Howard for their comments and reviews. Okay, Mace's wasn't that constructive, but he sent something, that's what counts, lol.

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"_Shego? Can you hear me?"_

"_Wha--? Kimmie?"_

"_Yes. I want you to try not to move, Shego."_

"_Huh? Wh—why?"_

"_Because I'm afraid you'll bleed out if you do."_

"_Uh—oh, I---snap."_

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Shego opened her eyes, and promptly shut them again._ "Ouch! Bright...antiseptic smell...hospital room. Beeping noise...monitoring equipment...sounds good, hope that's me! Snoring...Stoppable's here?" _She cracked her eyes open again, letting them adjust to the light. _"What did Kim say, bleeding out? Right thigh feels heavily wrapped...femoral artery damaged, most likely. Feel like I'm wearing a corset...ribs? Feels like IVs in both hands, obviously for a transfusion, hope Stoppable wasn't the donor, creepy enough having the same blood type as him!" _Opening her eyes wider, she found found that she had three people in the room with her.

There were two chairs against the opposite wall. Kim and Ron were squeezed into one, Kim more or less on Ron's lap. The teens were dressed in surgical scrubs, and both looked as if they'd showered, Kim had her hair wrapped in a towel, Ron's was obviously messed up. Ron's head was all the way back, nose towards the ceiling, and he was sawing wood fit to wake the...Shego flinched away from finishing that thought. The snoring didn't seem to be bothering Kim, but Shego reasoned that the girl was probably used to it, as well as doomed to hear it for the rest of her life.

Bernadette Barr was in the other chair, still in her party dress. Shego was about to give the girl credit for her ability to remain asleep through Stoppable's snoring until she detected signs of earplugs. _"Fine thing! She gets some, but the poor, __suffering patient..." _Shego snorted, then winced as that simple act made her chest hurt. _"Man, I must be really messed up!"_

As if on cue, the door opened and a doctor Shego didn't recognize walked in, checking on the other three occupants as she moved to the side of Shego's bed. She was tall and thin, with a unruly mop of reddish-brown hair. "I'm Doctor Gillette," She spoke softly, "How are you feeling?"

"Not so good, but that's easy to guess, ain't it?" Shego responded, "What's the damage?" Her next question was going to be a request to shift her position. But the doctor's words killed that notion.

"Do you know what the term 'flail chest' means?" Shego's eyes widened, and she gave a slight nod. "Well, you've got one. In addition to a severe laceration of the right thigh, which compromised your femoral artery." Shego winced. _"Sometimes I hate being right!"_

"Fortunately..." Doctor Gillette continued, "The very item that caused the laceration also kept you from bleeding out. But getting you out was a very messy business, I'm told, and I saw plenty of evidence of that."

Shego frowned briefly, then her eyes tracked onto the teenage couple dozing in the chair across the room. "They had to shower..."

Gillette nodded. "Paramedics brought them in, just couldn't believe none of the blood was theirs, that it all could have come from just one body. Had a hard time believing it myself when I saw them. Miss Barr was busy trying to calm the two Possible twins while Kim and Ron got you and the Mayor out."

Shego's face twisted into a confused scowl. "Doctor D? The Possible twins? How did they get involved? How's the Doc? Is he all right?"

"He's fine, compared to you, Miss. And as to the twins, you _do_ know your aircraft crashed into the Possible house, don't you?"

Shego blinked, then closed her eyes. "Okay, do you have any idea where I might find a place to make a sacrifice to the Gods of Fate? I have obviously ticked them off something fierce somehow!"

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"It's the darnedest thing I ever saw, Doctor Possible!" the Fire Marshal's remarked, "The Mayor's craft came down vertically through the roof, took out the master bath, and bisected the wall between the kitchen and living room. But the weird thing is, none of the plumbing was even bent, in either the bathroom or the kitchen!" He rubbed his chin. "In fact, I'd swear one drain pipe deflected the whole craft's path all by itself!"

"Well, that's certainly hard to believe, isn't it?" James Possible responded with a weak smile, certainly not intending to explain the advantages of Hephaestus-reinforced plumbing. Before the Marshal had spoken, he had been concentrating on plans to restore the house, maybe improve it. But for the moment, it was obviously uninhabitable. _"Unless I can adapt one of the boys' forcefields to cover the hole...but that would mean sharing one bathroom with them again..." _The Marshal's voice again broke his train of thought.

"And no explosions, no fire? Amazing!" Then the Marshal grew sheepish. "And once again, the Chief wants me to apologize for the first-responders. I mean they're volunteers, and when they heard who's ship had crashed in there, thinking they might need to wait for HAZMAT suits was understandable."

James smiled knowingly. "Not to mention _who's_ house it crashed into? Perfectly understandable, I'd have headed for Montana, myself, under the same circumstances! Still, it's lucky my daughter and her boyfriend got here so quickly, and Bernadette!" Then he stopped, blinking. Yep, he _had_ actually called Ron Kim's boyfriend. A slow smile spread across his face. _"Anne would probably say 'about time!'"_.

The Marshal shook his head. "That's true, but it's still not good! We're a little short on proper HAZMAT gear, to tell the truth! You've probably got more of that kind of stuff out at the Space Center then there is in the whole Tri-Cities combined!"

James nodded in agreement. "That's probably true, but also necessary! Still, it's not a good thing for the city! Never been room in the annual budget for it?"

"So we were told, for many years, Doctor Possible! But since Lipsky became Mayor...well, you've probably heard about all the financial shenanigans that went on right under Joe Geary's nose! And I voted for him every time he ran, including this time! I mean, I actually believe he was ignorant of most of it, but that's a poor excuse for a Mayor to give! Anyway, we're submitting a fairly modest proposal for equipment this year, hopefully it'll go through. How are your boys, by the way? I hear the crash itself didn't upset them so much, as much as...um, have trouble calling her Shego...anyway, the sight of her threw them for a loop."

James' face was grim as he nodded again. "I here it looked pretty gruesome, but fortunately wasn't as bad as it looked. To tell the truth, I've had some pretty dark thoughts about that young woman on some occasions, and I'm glad she wasn't...well, killed. I suspect having had those thoughts, no matter the motivation, might have haunted me for some time if she'd died."

The Marshal nodded in understanding. "I've heard similar sentiments before. Still, I wonder why she was so badly hurt, but the Mayor wasn't?"

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"The two seats had separate protective screens, is why!" Drakken snapped peevishly, "And they rarely worked at all, I'm truly surprised mine functioned properly, to tell the truth! But I installed them, just in case, and I'm quite angry, whether you believe it or not, that mine did such a good job, while Shego was so badly hurt!" He shifted uncomfortably in his hospital bed, not quite able to get the tightness in his lower back to ease.

The NTSB investigator didn't have any reply to that. The hovercraft had met all safety standards, the faulty protective field wasn't even regulation equipment, and hadn't caused the injuries, so...in truth, he felt he had little purpose here, the crash wasn't an accident, but his boss had sent him down. But one question did pop into his mind. "Why separate? Couldn't you have put a single, combined field over both?"

Still sullen, Drakken shrugged. "I had the parts to build two single seat fields, and didn't want to go buy parts for a bigger one. Some of my other craft have them, though."

The NTSB man nodded and rose from occupying the only seat available. "Well, that should be all for me, Mister Mayor, I hope you have a speedy recovery!"

He left, but Drakken still had an Agent each from the FBI and Homeland Security present. Both looked like they'd been on the job for some time, both being close to fifty, in Drakken's estimation.

The FBI man chuckled as soon as the door closed. "Parts? Hope he's not dumb enough to buy that! You had the seats with separate fields so the pilot could deliberately switch the passenger's off, didn't you? Yeah, I wonder...could your ex-employee have become a liability to whatever scam you have going here..." He broke off as the door swung inward, then his eyes nearly popped from their sockets when he saw who had entered. "Um, Sir! What are you doing here?"

The tall man with steely eyes replied "I need to talk to the Mayor alone, and I mean alone, am I clear?"

"Yes Sir!" Both agents replied in unison, and left the room with indecent haste.

The man then turned to Drakken, whose frown never diminished. "I might have expected something like this, but not this soon." The visitor commented quietly.

Drakken just met the man's gaze steadily for a moment, then he grudgingly nodded and studied his fingernails as he responded.. "I didn't expect such a response this early, either, or I'd have taken better precautions. I still don't know what detonated the missile where it did, a proximity fuse in the weapon, or my defense screen. Not that it matters now." He looked up again. "I understand you took four families into Protective custody in Upperton, not just two, as I expected."

The man chose to sit down in the available chair and sit back with his legs crossed before replying. "Our investigations indicated it was necessary to make the offers to the two councilmen, and both accepted quite readily. But that's not really any of your business, is it? How are you progressing on your end?"

"'Progressing' is all I can say, for the moment, Drakken replied sourly. "Once my suspicions are verified, I _will_ let you know. What about the information Shego obtained in New Jersey, did that help you at all? She's still not happy about wearing a wire, you know, so you had better keep your promise that what she got will never be used in a Courtroom prosecution, or even to pressure those two idiots into something!"

The man merely gazed coolly at Drakken for a moment, then gave a slight nod. "I have never broken my word yet, to saint, sinner, or anything in between, Mayor Lipsky, I won't start now. We haven't found it yet, but we're looking. Though for the moment, to do any good, you still have to establish that connection you alleged, nothing less will let us get the impetus we need to finish this off!"

Drakken nodded grimly. "I'm fully aware of that, Thank You very much! I'll make that connection, mark my words!" Inside he thought _"Even if I have to rely on one of the most unlikely agents to carry the ball for me!"_

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Shego must have dozed off, but she was awakened by the scent of food. Opening her eyes, she saw Ron sitting in the same seat as previously, still in hospital scrubs, but alone now. And chewing on a truly impressive burger. Shego's stomach rumbled, which actually caused some ache in her damaged ribs.

The sound of running water also came to her attention, and she looked to her right, carefully. The door to what was apparently a bathroom attached to her room was open, and she saw steam swirling around inside. _"Who's in there, Kimmie? Hmpfh! Some nerve, showering in my..."_ Then she spotted a familiar dress laying on a small shower bench the current occupant apparently had no use for. _"Oh, Bernie. Come to think of it, I wonder if Possible even has a shower of her own, how much damage did we do to her house, anyway?"_

The shower cut off just as Shego looked towards Ron again. "Hey Stoppable!" She winced, her chest protesting her attempt to talk so loud. Ron, who had apparently been daydreaming as he ate, was startled, and suddenly began to hack and cough.

"Ron!" came Bernie's voice from the bathroom, "Please tell me that didn't go down your windpipe, coming out there to do a Heimlich maneuver on you right now would be _really_ awkward!"

"No! (hack) I'm good(cough), just surprised." He gave Shego a suspicious look, as if he suspected her of causing him grief on purpose. She rolled her eyes, and looked towards the bathroom. "Hey! What's the deal, using my shower? Couldn't you go find one of your own?"

"Well," came the reply, "Ron found one of the non-permanent markers we use on people, and was thinking aloud of some of the things he could do with it, so I thought leaving you alone with him might lead to homicide at some future date."

Shego glared suspiciously at the boy, who only smirked as he resumed eating. Shego chose to put his nonchalance down to her current incapacity, rather then actually thinking he'd be safe if she was mobile. "Anyway, that's why the door is open," Bernie continued, "So I can keep one eye on you, even if it means you can keep one on me, as well!"

Shego looked towards the bathroom "So what? I've seen all of you before, anyway!" She smirked at Bernie's outraged "Shego!" Then odd noises drew her gaze back to Ron. "Uh oh." Apparently Ron had been caught in mid-swallow again, and the color he was turning now suggested that this time the food _had_ taken a wrong turn.

Bernie's voice came from the bathroom "Uh oh, what?" Shego looked for the call button for the nurse as Bernie peered out the door at her. Fortunately the hall door swung open just then to admit Kim, tying her hair back in a ponytail, and wearing some of her own clothes. "Possible!" self-inflicted pain caused Shego to break off with a gasp. But Kim took in the situation immediately, and rushed to Ron, quickly taking him in the proper hold to perform the Heimlich.

Noting that Ron was facing her, Shego croaked "Hey! Face him another way, I don't need half digested hamburger on me!" Kim made a face at Shego, but did turn Ron towards the window. A curse from the bathroom caused Shego to look and see Bernie on the shower bench, trying to fit her prosthesis in place.

Ron's airway was cleared on the first try, and he took in a long whooping inhalation as he collapsed into his chair, guided down by Kim. "He okay, Kim?" Bernie called from the bathroom.

"I think so!" Kim responded, wiping the sweat from Ron's forehead and watching his color return to normal. "What happened?"

"I'll be right out to have a look at him." Bernie said. "He just heard something that caught him off guard, with his mouth full!"

Kim looked at Shego suspiciously, mouth opening to speak, then clamping it shut as she looked at her former nemesis. Shego had sweat on her forehead too, and had gone very pale. Not that her color had been all that good before. Ron followed her gaze, then gripped her hand. "It's okay, KP! I mean, if they waited for my mouth to be empty before talking, no one would ever get anything said!"

Bernie came out of the bathroom wearing a pair of jeans, with a towel tucked under her armpits. She looked Ron over, even checking down his throat. "For the record, Ron, Shego and I went to a spa together. Locker room, get it?"

"Oh! Well, I wasn't thinking anything...um, okay, something weird did flash through my head, but it wasn't naughty, or anything!" Behind Bernie, Shego grinned faintly at the woman's fabrication. _"Well, sort of, we were supposed to go to the spa that one day. And I don't think I want to tell this pair the truth either, just not entirely sure why."_

Kim walked over to her bedside. "I know the answer is probably 'lousy' or worse, but how are you feeling, Shego?"

"Meh! I'll live to fight another day!" Shego noticed Kim's hand pull back suddenly from almost touching hers. _"Oops! Nice choice of phrase, considering the nature of Kim's and my relationship! Ah well, diplomacy was never my forte."_

"But right now, I don't think that day is coming soon. Healing factor needs fuel, and that burger has me salivating, what do they serve in this joint?"

"You're going to find yourself on a restricted diet for a while, Shego." Bernie told her as she returned to the bathroom. She pushed the door partly closed as she skinned her jeans back off and grabbed the underwear she'd skipped the first time. "Truthfully, you shouldn't even be conscious yet, as bad as you were when the ambulance got you here! You may have healed real quick for a while, but it seems to have slowed down a great deal."

"I just told you, it needs fuel!" Shego responded in exasperation, "And I don't care if it's broccoli soup, just get me something!"

"Ewww!" Ron grimaced. Kim had found something to clean up the half-digested bit of burger he'd spat out, and was dropping it in the wastebasket. Now she eyed him dubiously. "Make another mess, Ron, and it's all yours! Right now, though, we need to get going, I have to see if my parents need my help at home." The words were hardly out of her mouth when the door opened and a nurse came in, heading directly to Kim. "Miss Possible, the Mayor would like you to come see him when you can."

Kim blinked in consternation for a moment, then nodded politely. "Thank You, I'll be right there." She looked towards Shego, who looked very puzzled, then turned to Ron. "What happened to the clothes your Mom brought you?" Ron reached behind the chair and produced a paper grocery bag.

"Decided to eat in these clothes first, just in case!" He frowned, "You going to see Drakken, Kim?"

She nodded. "Yes, while you go get dressed." At Ron's dubious look she rolled her eyes. "Ron, he's hardly going to do anything here and now, is he? Besides, I think I know what he wants to talk about, I won't be long. Meet you back here, 'kay?"

Ron stood up, still looking dubious, but nodded, "You got it KP."

Kim noticed more then one person in the hall watching her with more then casual interest as she entered Drakken's room. The scientist was adjusting his sheets, as he'd been up and about just before Kim entered. "You wanted to see me, Doctor Drakken?"

He nodded. "Yes Kimberly, and we'll have to be quick! Firstly, when are you going to make that trip we discussed?"

Kim made a sour face. "I _was_ going today, but now I think I should go home and help my parents clean up, or move out, whichever has to be done!"

Drakken winced. "Hmm. Tell your father that he can disassemble the whole craft for easy removal by turning the little pylon the fuzzy dice are hanging from clockwise, which will open a small compartment in which he'll find an 'auto-dismantle' control. Just don't be standing under it when you activate it. Should break down into parts small enough to fit through the front door."

Kim blinked a moment, then nodded. "And if I ever share another ride with you and Ron, I know where _not_ to let him put his hand!"

"Eh?" Then Drakken got it, and snorted, "Well, traditions must be observed, Kimberly! Now, I don't think you should postpone that trip, I'm sure your parents will understand when you explain it to them later. And there's another thing I need you and Ronald to do, and it's also urgent! Or rather, you, Ronald, and young Wade."

Now Kim looked a bit suspicious. "Me, Ron _and_ Wade? What kind of 'thing'?"

Before Drakken could answer, the door swung open, and the FBI agent from before came in, scowling furiously. He looked at Kim, face working as if he couldn't decide what expression he wanted to show her. "What are you doing in here exactly, Miss Possible?"

"Visiting Mayor Lipsky, obviously!" Kim replied without a pause, "Who are you, and why are you interested?"

"He's FBI, Kimberly, and probably upset about this." Drakken replied, as he picked up a covered bedpan from the bedside table. Both of his visitors regarded it askance, until he grinned and pulled the cover away. "Your bugs, Sir?" When the agent took a step back and put his hands behind his back, Drakken's grin widened. "I assure you, Sir, the pan hasn't been used for it's normal purpose!" He shook it, and the listening devices rattled around inside. "Now, I'm fairly sure all of them aren't yours, perhaps you might be interested in trying to determine who they _do_ belong to?" He held the bedpan out again, and with great reluctance the agent took it, studying the contents with some interest. The after a final look at the pair, he turned and left the room.

Kim turned a surprised look towards Drakken. "How many were there?"

"Five, Kimberly, but never mind that! Back to your question." He smiled widely. "I'd like the three of you to do something you've proven to be very adept at, to my cost, among many others...."

He was abruptly cut off by the Kimmunicator's tones. Kim produced and activated it, but had no time to speak before Wade's excited words preempted her. "Kim! You have to get to Upperton, right away!" At that, Drakken sat up abruptly, winced, and rubbed his right side as Wade continued, "The Police station is under attack! In fact, there seems to be some kind of pitched battle going on, but things are real confused! All I know is this: The police arrested a bunch of guys in different parts of the city last night. Thought they were drunk, usually, but mainly because they all looked like they'd been in a paint fight!"

Kim's eyebrows shot up, as did Drakken's. "And is there some significance to that fact?"

"Well, the four colors they were splashed with were purple, white, black, and teal!"

Kim's eyes narrowed. "Well, purple and white could mean WWEE, but black and teal?"

"EWWE!" Wade exclaimed, "Don't you remember..." His eyes suddenly widened, "Um, let me check my logs!" He worked furiously at his keyboards for a few moments, then smacked his forehead. "Kim! I'm so sorry, I forgot that one, Alpha managed to buy some new uniforms for his people, and that's what color they are! And by the way, his current title is 'Alpha Doom', but don't expect him to keep that one, think it's already taken. And he's had three different titles since he started running EWWE, though I _am_ puzzled as to why he keeps the 'Alpha' part."

"To rub someone's nose..." Drakken muttered, then shook his head, "Sorry, go on!"

Kim nodded. "So, EWWE dresses in black uniforms with Teal trim, right?"

Wade shrugged. "Um, that's what they ordered from MinionCo, but it seems the colors got reversed, and there was no refund after delivery was accepted." He snickered "I'll bet someone was punished for signing for them!"

Kim blinked, then shook her head. "_So _not important! Are you saying that WWEE or EWWE are busting some of their people out of the jail...or, both trying to do it _at the same time?!"_ Kim turned and dashed towards the door. "On my way, Wade! Oh, should I trust the auto-driver in the Sloth? Ron and I need to change en route!"

The door closed behind her before Drakken could hear the reply. He leaned back onto his pillows, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. _"Hmm, this could all tie together nicely. Hope Kimberly doesn't get herself hurt, rushing into a pitched battle between WWEE and EWWE, though!" _Then he chuckled at his own thoughts about his arch-foe. _"Wonder why I care? Do I really have a soft side, or do I __merely want her around if and when I resume my villainous career, so I can finally defeat her...feh, that sounded hollow, even in my own head!"_

But he he still had an amused expression on his face when the door opened again and Jean Stoppable entered, looking back over her shoulder with a frown on her face. She turned to face Drew and replaced the frown with a smile. "Well, you're feeling better, I take it?" The smile faded. "I'm really sorry about your friend, Drew, but I understand her prognosis is good."

"So I hear. I plan to get up and go see her in a little while, I've only got some bruises and scrapes. Mind you, some of them are in places where I've been bruised and/or scraped so many times before..." He sighed regretfully.

Jean waited a moment for him to continue in vain, then asked "Any idea where Kim and Ron are off to? They looked almost like old times just now, rushing out the door in a big hurry, with _that_ look on Kim's face."

Drew nodded. "Good, I'm glad she's acting like the old Kimberly, even if it _is_ possibly just acting on her part. And yes, I know where they're going. Upperton."

That brought a frown to Jean's face. "I think it's about time you told me exactly what's going on in our sister city, Drew." Her tone brooked no nonsense, and Drakken sighed regretfully.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but while a few days ago I could have answered that question freely, I'm afraid I've been sworn to secrecy. The truth, you see, is very dangerous to know." He made a gesture to encompass his bed.

Jean's eyes widened. "Oh..."

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Alpha's voice boomed out of the speaker on the three-man EWWE hovercraft. "I repeat, all personnel recovered, all craft withdraw!" The commander of this particular craft grabbed the mike. "But Sir, we can't! If we withdraw now, WWEE will claim victory...and they _are_ one ahead of us as far as hovercraft shot down!"

There was a moment's silence. Then Alpha replied. "All right, _if _you think you can get one of theirs without losing one of ours...two of theirs without losing one of ours would be better...just make sure you come out on the winning side, or don't come back!"

The commander scanned the surrounding area, where WWEE and EWWE craft were pretty much playing hide-and-seek among Upperton's buildings. He spotted one WWEE craft that seemed to be having problems with it's engines. "Oh, no problem at all, Sir!" He looked at his two crewmen, expecting to see enthusiasm on their faces. Instead, they were staring at something above and behind him. And then he became aware of a growing shadow falling across him...

On the other end of the line, Alpha stood on his command podium. Unbeknown to their crews, all the EWWE ships were rigged for audio, so Alpha could hear their conversations when they weren't transmitting. He switched to the craft he'd just spoken to, to see if the commander sounded as confident when he didn't know Alpha was listening. But instead, he heard a rapid series of impact noises betokening someone getting the stuffing beat out of them. A _very_ rapid series of impacts...

Alpha opened the general frequency again. "All units, cancel last order! All units are to withdraw _immediately!_ Any failure to do so will incur severe punishment! Alpha out!" He slapped the switch so hard, it went from 'transmit' past 'off' to intercom without him realizing it. So his subsequent mutter of "Kim Possible" reverberated through his whole main base....

"THAT'S IT, YOU COWARDS! Take your teal-clad butts back to your lame boss!" The commander of a WWEE hovercraft bellowed as the EWWE ships sped past in rapid retreat. His two crewmen grinned widely at those words, but they lost them quickly at his next shout. "WWEE does not run away from a teenage girl!" They both gawked at him incredulously, then looked at each other. "Is this guy new?" one whispered to the other.

A sudden 'thunk' drew the attention of all three to where a grappling hook had hooked on to one side of the cockpit. Three stun rods came up to point at it. Which was wasteful, since Kim was swinging under the craft to come up on the opposite side, release her grip, and somersault to a landing right behind them. Two froze, thinking the inane thought that not moving might spare them. Their leader however, hesitated not a moment in hurling himself into a headlong dive for a set of traffic lights strung over the intersection below.

He just managed to partially arrest his fall by catching one light, but he lost his grip immediately and dropped flat onto the roof of a car below. The two inches of snow piled on it's roof barely cushioned his fall, and when the driver hit the brakes hard, the WWEE officer shot straight off into the middle of the intersection, the second impact finishing the job of knocking the breath out of him. He was fortunate that the driver who's roof he'd landed on was an exception to the rule that most sane motorists didn't drive through areas where strange aircraft were blasting at each other with weird rays.

His 'good' fortune evaporated completely, however, when he saw his two crewmen coming down to join him...

"I'm glad to hear that both groups were only using stun weapons, Chief!" Kim exclaimed with relief, then adding "But a little puzzled as well. And what about these men you arrested, that they came here to bust out? I hear they had paint all over them?"

The Chief, sporting a large bruise on his forehead, nodded wearily. "None of them were wearing uniforms, mind you! We found them all over town, in little groups of three to six. Total of about 30. Then had to find out which ones were on which side before we assigned them to cells. Otherwise, they'd get to fighting! And some of my people were more then stunned, a couple have broken bones!"

"Sorry to hear that." Kim responded sincerely, "Now I have to figure out what both groups were doing in Upperton." _"I wonder if Doctor Drakken can answer that particular question?" _she wondered

"Certainly!" The Chief muttered, half-sarcastically, "And maybe while you're at it, you can find out what happened to our Mayor, his family, and three other men and their families the night before last!"

Kim looked shocked. "What do you mean? I don't remember anything in the papers on New Year's Eve, and I've been a bit busy this morning."

The Chief grimaced and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I heard what happened down there in Middleton. And we kept a lid on it yesterday, trying to find something, _anything_ that would give us a clue to what happened before the press got involved. But the story broke this morning." He proceeded to give Kim a brief rundown on events in Upperton. Then he left to see to his men, leaving Kim frowning in thought. At least until she heard Ron calling to her.

"KP! You have _got_ to come see this!" She quickly spotted her boyfriend in front of a store display window with TVs inside. _"Point in his favor, he's sitting on a pile of EWWE and WWEE agents. Points against, his back is to the street, and he hasn't noticed two guys in the pile trying to strangle each other!" _Kim was proven partially wrong a moment later when Ron, without taking his eyes off the display, reached down with a small climbing hammer they used for driving pitons and rapped both men on the head sharply.

Kim sprinted over. Both men were still conscious, shaking their heads before alternating glaring at each other and Ron. Ron, I think..." then she saw what Ron was watching on the TV screen inside, and groaned loudly. "Spankin! Someone just had to get _that_ on video!"

The screen was currently showing what had to be an amateur video of Drakken's hovercraft plunging into the Possible house. But it was the caption that made Kim's eyes widen. **Flying Saucer dives into Scientist's home! Are aliens trying to wipe out our best brains? **"F—flying saucer? Didn't they hear on the news that it was Drakken's...I mean, is this lame, or what?" Kim blurted out.

"Kim, Kim, Kim!" Ron shook his head sadly, even as he rapped the WWEE agent again. "Hands to yourself, or Mister Hammer goes 'tappy tappy!', get it?" He looked up at his girlfriend. "Of course it's lame, and it sells! I mean, an alien craft crashes into your house..." He broke off as his eyes suddenly lost focus, though his lips kept moving. Kim rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall, brain churning as she studied the scene.

"They busted thirty guys out, and lost a dozen of the rescue squads." She spoke softly to herself. "Most of them bagged by Ron and I, who they weren't expecting, so it makes sense that they tried it. But, where did the paint-splashed guys come from? Were they 'tagging' their turf, or something?" She snorted, then noticed a large number of GJ agents she knew, currently disguised as US Marshals, disembarking from a pair of buses. One group came towards her and Ron, led by Wallace Dill. The prematurely balding agent had a big smile on his face as he looked at Kim, and the girl forced herself to look happy to see them. She helped the still-distracted Ron up off his seat so the agents could untangle the bad guys and cuff them, before taking them back towards the bus.

Dill made small talk, and Kim barely managed to appear to be paying attention, but she didn't really hear anything that the agent said. Then Ron snapped out of his fugue. "Okay, I can make it work, but I have to dump the princess!" Both Kim and Dill stood blinking at him in confusion, before Kim felt compelled to prompt him. "The Princess, Ron?"

Ron nodded sadly. "Yeah, I'm sorry to lose her, but space princesses are kind of cliché, anyway!" Then he looked around. "KP, think Bueno Nacho is open on New Year's Day?"

Kim grasped at this straw of normalcy in the haystack of Ron's...she shook her head. _"Metaphor's are not my strong suit!" _Aloud, she responded with a smile. "Sure, they need to feed all the shopper's going to New Year's Day sales! Let's go get you fed...again, then see how Mon's doing at Club Banana. Then we need to go see Drakken again, and finish an interrupted conversation from earlier."

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Much tamer ending this time, heh.

Please Read and Review, I appreciate receiving them.


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

I'd like to thank MrDrP,Tjikicew, Dhoom, Michael Howard, and Worker72 for their reviews, as well as those who have spoken of the story in chat.

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**January 3****rd, … **

Hank Perkins stood with his back to a cold stone wall, hugging his notebook computer to his chest and breathing hard. A thick fog limited his vision to only about ten yards, but what he couldn't see, he could imagine _real_ well.

"I was a fool to take this job...at these rates, at least!" He muttered aloud. Sliding close to the corner of the house he was using as shelter, he started to peer around it...when a hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him sharply back, while another one stifled any cries he may might have made.

"That would have been foolish in the extreme, Perkins-san!" A female voice admonished him softly. He blinked in consternation. It was nearly dusk, and the lighting was poor, but he could tell the person who held him was petite and female, though wearing a hood and mask that concealed most of her features. "W—who are you?" He stammered quietly as she removed her hand from his mouth.

"I am an ally, Perkins-san, hired by Load-san to see that the information you have obtained safely reaches it's destination." The girl slid close to the corner herself and stood in a posture of alertness, but didn't peer around the corner herself, she just listened intently.

"You mean, Wade called in a favor of Kim Possible's, to have me protected?" Hank hissed. The girl turned, annoyed, and shook her head. "No, this is a paid assignment, we don't subsist on charity, you know!"

Hank's eyes widened. _"Wade Load paid for my protection, how thoughtful! Well, if I only get to deliver this information to one of my clients, it'll certainly be him!"_

He looked at the girl. "Could your organization use someone with great organizational skills?" he whispered.

Her head snapped around, incredulity visible in her eyes. Then she blinked and shook her head. "Thank you, no! Right now we have more important things to be concerned with! I have removed four obstacles, but there are at least eight more WWEE agents stalking us, that we must be concerned with!"

"Actually," came a soft voice from above their heads, speaking in a cultured English accent, "There are at most two remaining WWEE agents, my dear Yori."

Even as she clamped a hand on Hank's mouth to stifle his startled reaction to the voice, Yori scanned the swirling fog above them. "Lord Monkeyfist! What evil are you here to perpetrate!"

"Evil? You wound me, my dear." Came the reply, but from ground level, as Monkeyfist materialized from the fog before their eyes. "I'm actually here for the same reason as you, to see that Mister Perkins survives, or at least the information he obtained does, and reaches _one _of his clients!" Hank fidgeted nervously under Monty's scrutiny as he continued "How fascinating to find out he's also working for Wade Load!"

Yori blushed as she realized that the revelation of her client's name openly represented a serious breach of conduct on her part. Hank for his part grimaced. _"Okay, so they both sent protection, I guess it's back to Plan A, give both clients the info."_

"And Mister Perkins," Monty remarked, "I'm afraid I'll have to reject your application to me for employment, as well. Not only do I have sufficient domestic staff for my needs, but I don't think you'd get along with my manservant, Bates." He broke off as some strange noises echoed in the fog. "Right, that's the last of them, it's time to go, and we must hurry!"

"Wh—why the rush?" Hank asked feebly.

"Because, Mister Perkins," Monty replied with a smirk, "Twelve WWEE agents just went off the air, do you know what that means?" He waited, but only received a head shake from Hank. "It means that there are two dozen more on their way as we speak. And while I do enjoy a bit of exercise, I'd like to be long gone before it becomes four dozen, so get a move on!"

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**Still January 3****rd****...**

"So far, less then twenty hours since the truth about Shego's condition leaked out, we've intercepted two people who want her dead trying to get to Middleton, and identified two more en route from Europe, as well as at least one from Asia. And those are the ones we know about!" Abby Hogan finished reading the report aloud and looked at Doctor Director. "She sure has made a lot of enemies, Betts! And we can't guarantee to stop them all. A few people are worried about innocent bystanders, justifiably."

Betty nodded, fingers steepled as she sat gazing at her monitors. "Well, the only solution is to take her into protective custody, obviously!"

"And involuntarily? That might cause problems the way things are now."

Betty turned her chair to face Abby. "Well, what if it was voluntary? I mean I could appeal to her reason." Abby snorted, causing Betty to grin faintly. "Or, I could get her to take our protection as the lesser of two evils."

Abby frowned, looking at Betty with wary curiosity. "And what 'evil' could you threaten her with that she'd prefer to stay here with us?"

Betty smiled innocently. "Why, her loving family, of course!"

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**And we're still stuck on the 3****rd****...**

Wade Load walked into his computer room with an armload of snacks, while managing to hold a Super-Size Slurpster in each hand. He deposited the entire load on the side table, within easy reach of his consoles, and sat down, flexing his fingers as he watched his custom anti-virus program finish it's scan of his internal network. He wondered idly what would happen if Kim ever saw it running, with tiny images of Kim as translated into an Everlot Fairy zipped about the screen, occasionally doing battle with viruses visualized as various monsters, depending on the nature of the virus' mode of attack. He watched one that looked like a werewolf fleeing a tiny Kim-Sprite wielding a sword bigger then her body, before being rendered down to animated chunks of meat when she overtook it. This was followed by the words **Program complete, all threats eliminated!**, and a row of tiny Kims forming up and saluting him before the program closed.

"_Those were cute a year ago, but I need something new!"_ Wade mused as a status display popped up. One little button was blinking furiously. It signaled that something had triggered his remote surveillance system in Drakken's lair. _"Word or 'rant' recognition program probably triggered, hope it isn't a false alarm like when Drakken used the word death ray to describe his solution to non-recyclable trash piling up at the lair! Guess he can't get a pick-up out there, ha!"_

Fortunately Wade called the active camera up before taking a gulp of his first slurpster, otherwise he'd have had a mess to clean up. The image that greeted his eyes showed a miserable Rufus, locked in a small metal cage. Then came Drakken's unmistakable voice. "Ah! You're finally here, I was afraid this would have to wait until tomorrow!" The camera angle widened, and Wade saw a pile composed of the audio-visual devices he'd had Rufus painstakingly install in the lair. He groaned aloud, then hastily checked to make sure he hadn't broadcast the sound to Drakken._ "How did he find them all?"_

Then the view widened again, and his jaw dropped. He could now see a young adult skunk chewing on what appeared to be a piece of raw meat. Next to it sat a small dish piled with more chunks. "You can only keep them loyal with Skunk Treats for so long, Young Mister Load, eventually they'll want something more." Drakken intoned from off camera. Wade wished he could see the scientist's face to see if he was smirking, even though he sounded solemn enough. "Shouldn't he be hibernating?" He asked petulantly.

"Well, yes, he _should_ be. In fact, the rest of his family are doing so somewhere under my laboratory, and I'm not sure I want to see what emerges from there in the Spring. But, that's unimportant, to business!" He paused and sighed. "I was tempted to have you tell Ronald, and set something up to greet him. One deathtrap, middling difficulty, a few of my least liked henchmen on duty...but there are too many complications now. For one thing, the henchmen here now are the serious kind, and wouldn't go along with any little games. For another, I'd have to oil the deathtrap, they're all a little rusty...tell you what, send that little remote control flier you've been using to shuttle the little rodent back and forth, and I'll let him go..._this_ time! No promises for future intrusions, got it?"

"Got it." Wade replied sourly, and began to warm up the program for his drone. "Am I going to get my bugs back?"

The old Drakken laugh echoed form the speaker. The he sighed happily "Ah, that felt good! No, you're not, and don't complain about it! And don't bother bugging me again, unless you first plan to tell Kimberly you know what her and I have been discussing in private."

"I—I--I was just looking out for her, is all!" Wade stammered defensively. "But I haven't done any snooping to find out if it's true or not."

"Really? That's too bad, but unimportant, Kimberly has verified our suspicions adequately, as far as I'm concerned. Now, hurry and send that flier, I don't want to be late to the office, there's something important I need to do."

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**January 4 **

Shego knew something was wrong as soon as Doctor Gillette entered her room. The doctor had a frown on her face as she looked at some X-Rays that had been taken before breakfast that morning. She didn't say anything until she'd reached Shego's bedside, then she gave her patient a faint smile. "Not as much progress as I'd hoped, considering how fast you initially healed, but it should be safe to transport you."

"Well, maybe I didn't say, but my bones don't heal nearly as fast...transport?" Shego looked at the doctor in alarm, "Transport me where?"

Now Doctor Gillette was puzzled. "Why, Go City!" She replied, "Your family is coming to take you there. Where they think you'll be safer then here, with all your enemies coming out of the woodwork."

Shego was appalled. "What do you mean, take me to Go City!!! My family? I thought you guys were trying to make me better, not trying to drive me insane! It's bad enough I'm immobilized, you want me immobilized, _and_ with my brothers?!! Please, just shoot me now!"

Gillette stood blinking as the tirade ran it's course. Then she grinned wryly. "Over-dramatic, much? Look, I thought someone had to have told you, but the police don't think you're safe here, and your family thinks you'll be safe in Go Tower."

Shego's jaw dropped. "Safe from what? Or who? You know how many villains have snuck into Go Tower, or gotten in by pretending to be the Pizza Guy, someone looking for a charitable contribution, or as the President of one of Mego's fan clubs? And those were our enemies back then, these guys after me now make Go City's villains look like the Apple Dumpling Gang!"

Gillette frowned. "Actually, I thought you approved this idea. After all, you _do_ have to agree to it, and sign out of the hospital personally."

"Well, there's no way I'm going home with my brothers! None of them know enough about medicine or taking care of a sick person to be trusted with the job of caring for me, anyway!" Shego protested vehemently.

"Well, they did say something about hiring someone who used to work at the orphanage when you were kids there, a Mrs Soames, or something."

Shego nearly choked, and the convulsion caused pain to shoot through her chest. "N—No effing way! She only treated the boys nicely, to her all us girls were borderline whores just waiting an opportunity to go into trade! I'd rather be a naked hood ornament on a monster truck for Ed Lipsky before I'd let _her_ take care of me!"

Concern for Shego's condition caused Gillette to decide to drop the subject. "All right, I'll see what's what. And again, as a competent adult, you have to consent to it, so you really have nothing to worry about, just calm down."

Shego frowned. "Did I have a cellphone with me when I was brought in?"

"You had pieces of one in one of your pockets, I believe." Shego groaned inwardly. _"Have to get a new one, and download my contact numbers back at the lair." _Then the doctor's next words brightened things up. "But the Mayor dropped off a new one for you this morning. He's looking much better, by the way, but didn't want to wake you up." _"Bless you, Doctor D!"_ Shego smiled "He should have woken me, haven't had a chance to talk to him since the crash, our timing seems to be off."

Doctor Gillette left a short while later, leaving Shego deep in thought. _"I smell a rat in this somewhere! NO way my brothers would have thought of taking me in on their own, but then who did give them the idea? Fortunately, I have options."_

Opening the drawer in her bedside table, Shego found the cellphone. It couldn't have her regular numbers in it, since Drakken didn't have the password for her personal computer, but the one she needed was still fresh in her memory. "Hello? Listen, I know you don't like rush jobs, but I need one, and it's right up your alley."

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"I suppose it was too much to expect for you to warn me in advance about this!" Drakken looked up from his desk at Jean Stoppable's unmistakably angry words as she stormed into this office. "Councilman Hoard just introduced a measure to remove the ordinance from the books that allowed your election! And don't try and deny your hand in it, the wording was exactly the same as it was when you showed it to me!"

Drakken was now waving both hands at her. "Calm down, calm down! I'm not denying anything! In fact, I did try and call you this morning on your cell, and got Dean instead."

The anger went out of Jean's face, to be replaced by a sheepish look. "Oh! We must have gotten our cells mixed up this morning, I guess..." she reached in her skirt pocket and winced when she saw the cellphone she found there. "I guess we did!"

"The odd thing was, when I asked him for the number of that cellphone so as to call you, he couldn't remember it! How does someone who crunches numbers for a living forget a number?" Drakken asked curiously.

Jean sighed, and sat down in one of the plush chairs in front of the desk. "He has the number on business cards, and wouldn't be likely to call himself, so...it's not essential for him to remember it, so he doesn't. Besides, his job may be crunching numbers, as you say, but it's doesn't require all that much memorization, just calculation, after all." Then she frowned. "But let's not change the subject! Why did you do it, and why Henry Hoard?"

Drakken leaned back in his chair and spread his hands wide. "In reverse order, because I knew from my dealings with him that he wouldn't hesitate to introduce it. Courtland Peel would have been the only person liable to move quicker, but he's not a City Councilman. As to why? Jean, someone tried to _kill_ me, and _Shego_! I don't know exactly what I'm going to do about it, or what I personally will _have_ to do about it, but I suspect I might break a law or two, though possibly not in this country. I'd rather not be in office when that happens, that's all."

"But aren't the authorities going to do something about that? They can't ignore it because of who you are, not with all the publicity! And what country might you be breaking laws in, Drew?"

"Oh, the authorities are involved, but there are many reasons why they may not pursue the matter far enough to insure my safety. As for the publicity....well, I'm thinking of nominating Summer Gale's last piece for a literary reward, 'Best Science Fiction', just have to find which competition to enter her in. And though her piece was a bit extreme, there were quite a few others who speculated that I got 'what was coming to me', just with differing opinions on how I probably earned it." He swiveled his chair towards the window. "I knew things like this would happen, though many problems that I expected haven't materialized. But, this incident brought some of the lurking predators into the open to show their true colors, or opinions, in any case. So now, I'm giving them a chance to handle the matter legally."

Jean shook her head. "Drew, You've done a fine job as Mayor. Your methods may not be the norm..." That drew an amused snort from Drakken "But the results have been more than satisfactory, and I'm certainly not the only one who feels that way."

Drakken was silent a moment, then he nodded. "Thank You, that means a lot to me. Tell me, when is the vote?"

"It's scheduled for the 7th."

Drakken nodded again. "Well, then, Mrs Stoppable, you may just be Madame Mayor of Middleton by the 8th of the month!"

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**January 5th**

Bernadette Barr checked her watch as she emerged from the elevator on Shego's floor of the hospital. She only had twenty minutes at most for a visit if she wanted to get to the school on time. She'd been in daily since the crash, but twice was vexed to find Shego asleep or in being tested. And as she turned to head down the hall to Shego's room, it looked like she'd mistimed things yet again.

Shego was being rolled down the hall on a gurney maneuvered by three people in scrubs. Bernie stepped back as they turned to approach the same elevator she'd used, and Shego spotted her. "Oh, hey, Bernie! Um, what are you doing here?"

Bernie frowned. "Um, visiting you? And I seem to have picked a bad time again, but I can ride with you to your test, maybe talk with Elaine Gillette while I'm here." The elevator arrived, and the gurney was wheeled inside. One of the people with Shego, a young Asian woman, turned to Bernie. "I'm sorry Miss, medical personnel only."

Bernie smiled, though a touch miffed. "That's okay, I _am_ medical personnel!" And she entered the elevator car with them.

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"I must say, Hank, you've certainly come through with flying colors." Drakken observed as he studied the two photocopied documents Hank Perkins had brought him. "And no little excitement, I understand?" They were in the main chamber of the lair, with Drakken seated at his work desk.

"Oh, it was nothing, Doctor Drakken, or should I call you Mayor Lipsky, now? Anyway, Lord Fiske brought me safely through!" Hank responded cheerfully.

Drakken smiled, with just a hint of predator in it. "With a little help, I believe? Tell me, have you delivered copies of these documents to Wade Load yet?"

A tiny bead of sweat started down Hank's temple. "Uh, No sir, I haven't been to see him just yet, no." He shuffled his feet, and inadvertently looked down, eyes being drawn immediately to the discolored sections of concrete around him.

"Ah!" Drakken leaned back in his chair, hands folded across his chest. After a long moment, he continued "Well, you'd better go collect your fee from him before I call him and Kim Possible and share the news myself."

Hank blinked in astonishment. "Y—you're going to call Kim Possible with this?" he stammered incredulously.

Drakken seemed surprised. "Of course! 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend', etcetera!" Then he paused, "Though that may have to be rewritten in this case. In any event, we have a mutual enemy, though I suspected it before Kim and her boy genius did! Now, run along, I'll need to contact Wade in no more than an hour, we need to get moving on this!"

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Doctor Director rode the elevator up to Shego's floor with Abby Hogan, Will Du, and Brenda Core accompanying her. "Got to ask, boss, do you feel the least guilt or remorse, playing this dirty a trick on Shego?" Abby whispered to her just as the elevator came to a halt.

"Not a bit!" Betty replied. "Now, let's hope Team Go has been here long enough to 'soften' her up for us!" A moment later, her smirk turned to a frown. The first thing she heard when she emerged from the elevator was a loud voice exclaiming "What do you mean, she's GONE!"

"This is a hospital, keep your voice down, young man!" There before Betty was the floor's reception desk. In front of it, Hego was wilting before the stern glare of Doctor Anne Possible. Then Anne spotted Betty striding towards her, even as Hego mumbled an apology. Mego and the two Wegos were off to one side, huddled in conversation.

"What's going on, here!" Betty asked, keeping her own voice down, but forceful.

Anne took a deep breath before replying. "It seems that Shego has somehow flown the coop, Betty, and without checking out! And we know for a fact she couldn't have done it herself, her morning X-Rays show little improvement with her ribs since yesterday, she couldn't have walked out, or even used a wheelchair. She was still very fragile, to tell the truth."

Betty struggled to keep the shock off her face. "You mean to tell me someone abducted her? Or worse, killed her, then removed the body? What about security, or the people I posted..." she turned and nodded at Brenda Core, who immediately headed towards Shego's room, pulling out her personal communicator as she did.

"'Abducted' is the most likely answer, Betty." Anne replied, "Hospital security was no longer keeping an eye on her full time, since your people, and some others were so obvious, it seemed like overkill."

"Others?" Betty asked, before Abby took her by the arm and whispered in her ear "Ah. It seems I missed a report on it, some Federal agents were here as well, my people had begun to coordinate with them on the watch."

"Well, not to be critical, Ma'am," Hego politely commented, "But they didn't do a very good job of keeping our sister safe!"

Betty's response had a chill in it. "We don't know that your sister isn't 'safe', Hego! For all we know, she arranged this herself!"

Further conversation was interrupted by two short tones from Betty's pocket. She pulled out her own comm and activated it. "Yes?"

"Utility Room, Ma'am." Brenda Core's voice announced, "All six, all alive, all asleep. Still have their ID and weapons, no signs of violence at all."

"Very Well. I'll be there in a moment." She looked at Anne. "At least it wasn't the linen closet! I take it the hospital has already been searched?" Anne nodded. "Agent Du, go to wherever Hospital Security monitors their video cameras, and begin a review of available tapes." Will gave a short bow and departed.

"You think she asked someone to smuggle her out of the hospital?" Mego asked skeptically, "Someone who could handle someone in her condition? In broad daylight?"

"More likely hired someone, Mego." Betty replied, "As to who..." Her voice trailed off, then she suddenly looked at Anne. A moment later, the good doctor's eyes widened as well. "Oh!" They said in unison.

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Bernie struggled to force her eyes open. It took a while, but she finally got them to open and stay that way, even as she noticed things about her surroundings. She was lying in a bed, but she felt a peculiar motion. She'd felt t before, while sleeping in a seat on a..._"I'm in a plane? In a bed?"_ She couldn't quite push herself up yet, so she turned her head to her right, and saw Shego, also in a bed, smiling wanly at her. "Hey, how you feeling?" She asked.

"Where am I?" Bernie asked in return and struggled up onto her elbows. Then she peeked under the sheets covering her. "And why does traveling with you always seem to make my clothes disappear?" Then she shifted her legs, and a worried look crossed her face. She leaned to look over the side of the bed, scanning the floor. "Where's my foot?"

Shego grimaced. "Sorry, they wanted to make sure you weren't wired, or wearing a tracking device, and whether or not this was a set-up to trap them. They said your foot will be returned as good as new, and your clothes will be cleaned. Oh! They said something about a squeak in your foot, they said they'd fix it."

Bernie sat up so as to better scan her surroundings, keeping the covers clasped to her chest. "Who are you talking about?" Then the cabin door opened, and three people walked in. Bernie's jaw dropped. "Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me!"

The three figures were obviously female, and dressed as...ninjas. They regarded Bernie impassively, then turned and bowed to Shego. The leader then addressed the thief. "Honorable client, we can now report that we believe no one has traced our departure from Middleton, and we expect no difficulties in delivering you to your chosen destination."

Bowing in return being totally out of the question, Shego nodded politely. "Thank You, your services have been more then satisfactory. I'm sorry about having to accommodate an unexpected complication." Bernie gave her a mild glare, obviously understanding that _she_ was the 'complication'.

"No worries, Honorable Client, we will bill you accordingly." The leader responded politely. Shego winced slightly, and Bernie almost felt sorry for her. Almost. "Just where are we going?" She asked Shego.

"A nice, warm place, don't worry." Shego replied. "Somewhere my enemies won't think of, hopefully, and it won't do much good if they do."

"Provided, of course, that we find no sign of treachery, Honorable Client, in which case you won't reach your destination at all." The ninjas' leader stated calmly. Then the three bowed again, and departed.

Bernie sat watching the door for a second, then fell back onto her pillows. She looked at Shego. "This is another fine mess you've gotten me into, Stanley!"

"Hehehe...ow! Don't make me laugh, it hurts!"

"Sorry. Sort of..."

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"This is unacceptable!" Betty Director growled. She was pacing back and forth in a commandeered office in Middleton General Hospital. "Ninja Nurses! I knew Kim didn't make them up, but really..."

Crammed in the office with her were Anne Possible, Team Go, the head of the security team Betty had assigned to watch Shego(Who was currently not fully present mentally after weathering Betty's blistering wrath, but was showing some signs of returning to normalcy), Dr. Elaine Gillette, and the hospital's chief administrator, Medford E. Cates, who was currently wringing his hands. "You can't blame us, Madame! We're not used to dealing with people like that! I mean, we've occasionally had problems revolving around young Miss Possible's activities, but nothing like a patient vanishing!"

Betty ignored him. "And not a damned thing on video! Yet the system never went down, it's just that each camera switched off exactly when it had to to not record them, then back on again! That takes the damn good hacking!" The door opened to admit Abby Hogan, and the urgent look on her face caused Betty to take her aside immediately.

"Betts, I just got a call from a 'friend', who tells me that a large Federal Task Force is assembling in Upperton. But what's important is, they're preparing to enter what they believe is a supervillains' lair, _beneath the city!"_

"What! Has the world gone crazy today? Wait, what am I saying..." Betty shook her head as if to clear it. "Get Du and Core, meet me back at the car, right now!"

As the head of Global Justice North America exited, the sound of 'The Star Spangled Banner' as ring tones emanated from Hego. He promptly produced a cell phone(Though Anne couldn't tell _where_ he could have hidden it!), and activated it. "Team Go Mobile Headquarters, Hego speaking!" Mego groaned under his breath and the Wegos rolled their eyes. "Yes? I see! Well, we have another problem...well, now that you mention it, we don't really have any idea how to proceed...Yes, Sir! Of course, standing idle suits no one's purpose except the Forces of Evil! We'll be right there, Sir!" He closed the phone and made it disappear.(Anne still didn't have a clue) He then turned to his brothers. "Duty calls! Follow me!" He started towards the door, then turned back abruptly to hand a business card to Cates. "Our family attorney, we'll be in touch." Then he marched out the door, followed by the enthusiastic Wegos and a somewhat less thrilled Mego. "You _are_ going to tell us where we're going, right?" He called after his big brother as he closed the door behind him.

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"Well, here we are again, doing the same old thing, in the same old way!" Kim smirked at Ron's words coming from behind her as she crawled carefully down an inclined section of ducting. She was down on her belly and exercising great caution, partially due to experience, mostly due to the large number of traps and alarms the pair had already encountered in their intrusion into the suspected WWEE base beneath Upperton.

It had taken a longer then usual amount of time to locate the base, it had been cleverly concealed, with ventilation ducts running up to half a mile from the base before reaching the surface, artfully concealed among similar structures belonging to surface buildings. Kim and Ron had already covered nearly a full half mile horizontally, as well as descending nearly four hundred feet in the process, but were now approaching their goal.

"At least this one is different, though." Ron continued his whispered commentary, "Just doesn't have the same feel to it, even the metal feels...I want to say cheaper, actually."

"Wasn't built by HenchCo, according to Doctor Drakken." Kim responded, "Though he didn't say who did build it, he did imply Jack Hench isn't happy, he paid someone for 'Territorial Rights', and is going to complain about it to someone. I don't like how vague that all sounds, but we didn't have time to go into it." Kim was holding her Kimmunicator in one hand, and a scanner usually disguised as a hairbrush, now connected to the Kimmunicator, in the other. She kept sweeping ahead of her with the scanner as she inched forward. "I can see a vent ahead, grill over it." She paused and wrinkled her nose. "I can also smell fresh paint, I think." What was absent, however, was any sound to indicate activity in the base. And it was only late afternoon. "I'm beginning to think there isn't going to be any opposition in here, Ron."

"Except for the traps, KP, which I point out were designed to kill! I mean, that's not a surprise in a WWEE base, but I'm getting nervous here."

Kim started to shake her head, then a mischievous smile crossed her face. "Want something to take your mind off it?"

"Um, not sure taking my mind off death traps is a good thing, KP. But...sure, what could make me more nervous?"

Kim hesitated now, but she knew Ron sometimes dealt with some things better on 'auto-pilot', handling really dangerous things while worrying about something entirely different. "Well, I was just wondering why nobody told me about 'Rongo'?"

"Eep!"

"Shhh!" Kim forestalled any verbal response as she reached the vent and peered through the grill. It was at floor level, and it appeared that the room she was looking into was circular. It was also huge, and she guessed that it took up the whole level, which should be the fourth down from the surface out of six.

She quickly determined that not only was the grill electrified and rigged with two separate alarms systems, but also connected to a pop up turret in the floor ten feet away, containing who knew what kind of weapon, and a trap door she was currently perched on, leading to a straight plunge of about twenty feet. She tsked as she worked. "Not even decent security..." She muttered, then smiled as she disabled the last obstacle. She then used a small Electro-magnetic screwdriver to release the grill, and lowered it carefully to the floor inside. Using her laser lipstick would have triggered the thermal sensor set to trigger the poison gas discharger, after all.

Kim crawled cautiously forward, sweeping ahead of herself with her hand scanner, and also checking the walls with her eyes, before slowly rising to her feet. Ron followed her through and stood, picking up one of the screws she'd removed from the grill.

They stood in a large circular room, as Kim had guessed. The perimeter of the chamber was lined with consoles, save for a gap that contained the doors for an elevator. In the center of the room was a raised, circular area accessed by steps on either side. Save for the gaps at the head of the steps, it was encircled by more consoles with high backs, with the operators thus being unable to see the people manning the ones around the room, and vice versa. Each console they could see had a swivel chair on rollers in front of it.

"Well, we know where the paint fight was." Ron was stating the obvious. The room and everything in it was liberally splashed with paint in the four colors they'd expected. "And the reason the guys were arrested all over the place was because they used different escape routes."

"And were dizzy from the paint fumes, not drunk." Kim added. "But why all the non-lethal combat?" She spread her arms wide to encompass the whole room. "This is _ferociously _childish!" She shook her head. "And then the non-lethal weaponry during the jailbreak...though, they may have not wanted to kill any police officers, that's all that may have been." She began to walk around the perimeter of the room, still scanning ahead of her.

Ron tossed the screw away as he started to follow her. It bounced into the air duct, and deflected down past the point where they had entered. At which point the pop-up turret, on which Ron happened to be standing, popped up and unleashed a long burst of flame into the ventilation duct, as Ron's arms windmilled as he tried to retain his balance. An electronic sounding maniacal laughter accompanied the flames.

Kim spun around, but before she could act, the turret retracted as the flames cut off, and the laughter died out. She quickly replaced the look of concern on her face with a stern one. "Ron! Quit fooling around!"

Ron grinned sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry KP! Thought the canned laughter was a nice touch, though!"

Kim shrugged. "Typical Gemini!" she said dismissively as she worked her way around until she could look up the steps to the raised central section. She now saw a raised platform in the center, about three feet high, and three in diameter, with steps up to it on four sides. From there, someone could look down and see all parts of the room where work was supposedly done. "There's Gemini's spot, if it had been finished while he was running things."

Ron nodded as he followed her up the stairs. He scanned the consoles on either side as Kim walked up on the platform and looked around. He spotted one active screen with an image on it that looked familiar, and moved closer. Then his eyes widened, and he looked quickly to make sure Kim was distracted.

It appeared to be based on the picture of Kim after the Lake Michigan mission, but someone had altered it, replacing Kim's underwear-clad body with a naked one. And Ron had to admit that they'd matched the measurements pretty well. But right now, he'd prefer Kim didn't see it. Below the picture he saw three options: Print, Save to disk, and Delete file. He grabbed the mouse sitting in front of the screen and clicked on the last.

There was a electric shriek from the speakers, and an animated blade 'decapitated' the Kim in the image, the head bouncing to the floor. IN real life, Kim's actual head snapped around, just as an ominous series of noises came from around them, and Kim spotted the familiar sight of several of Gemini's missile launchers swinging out of the wall. "RON! What did you do!" She shouted as she dropped off the platform and ducked low.

Ron's head swiveled to and fro before he too ducked. He grinned weakly at Kim. "Oh, the usual..."

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Betty Director was mad. She'd had to show her ID four times since leaving the car, and trying to walk the single block to where the Feds had set up their task force HQ. This consisted of three large trailers filled with communications equipment, with both rear doors wide open, as well as large side panels. They were surrounded by groups of agents in dark blue jackets labeled with their agency's acronym.

Betty saw Homeland Security, FBI, Marshal's Service, and Treasury agents, all well armed. She also saw a dozen men in urban combat fatigues, standing around stacks of equipment in military style containers. _"Bomb Disposal." _Betty thought as she headed straight towards the trailers. Her aide and two agents trailed in her wake, Abby talking to someone on a bluetooth-style phone.

Then Betty spotted someone standing in the doorway of one of the trailers, a tall man who she recognized immediately. _"Well, that answers who shut GJ out, now to hear his 'reason'!"_ Her intentions were derailed by Abby, who caught her arm. "Betty, you need to hear this! It's Wade Load!"

Betty was torn. Wade wouldn't have called without reason, and the reason almost certainly involved Kim. But still..."Can't it wait, Abby?"

Her aide shook her head. "No, since it might explain why you were shut out of this!"

That got Betty's attention. Even _before_ she realized that Abby had said 'you' instead of 'us', or GJ. She reached for the phone and put it in place. "Make it snappy young man, I'm in a hurry!"

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Kim and Ron crouched low, listening intently. They heard very faint mechanical sounds occasionally, but couldn't identify them. Kim cautiously rose up enough to stick the antenna of her scanner above the consoles, while watching the Kimmunicator's screen. "Hmm, motion scanners activated, all around the room! Bet they're hooked to missile launchers!"

"Let's find out!" Ron responded. He took hold of one of the chairs, and rolled it towards one of the gaps in the consoles. It reached the steps and tumbled down. The two teens held their breaths, but nothing happened. "Okay, maybe they're more sophisticated, like motion sensors combined with thermal sensors!" Ron suggested.

"One way to find out!" Kim replied, "Get under that console, Ron." She slipped off her backpack as she spoke, and put it underneath a console on her side.

"Kiiim, you're not going to do something stupid, are you?" Ron asked worriedly, even as he obeyed her instructions.

"Let ya know in a sec!" She said with a grin, then leaped up and out, landing at the bottom of the steps, but already spinning to dash back up them. Ron heard the familiar _'whoosh' _of one of Gemini's launchers, or maybe more than one, and shouted "KIM!", just as she tumbled past him, then rolled sideways under a console as multiple explosions hammered his eardrums. The missiles had impacted the top of the steps, having lost contact at that point.

Kim peeked around the center platform at Ron. "Well, now we know!" She cracked. "Now, how to get out of this?"

"Why get out? Maybe we should just wait for the Feds to work their way down to us." Ron suggested, knowing full well she wouldn't, or couldn't, sit still and wait for rescue. Then a thought struck him, as Kim shook her head and sat up. "Hey, I wonder why there aren't motion sensors covering where we are, through the gaps?"

Kim smiled. "Because Gemini would be hiding here if he came under attack, and wouldn't want any missiles coming at _him_, Ron!"

"Oh, Right! Gotcha, KP! Guess that means we're safe while we sit here and plan, right?" As soon as he said it, the back of Ron's neck began to itch. "Why do I get that feeling..."

A low humming drew both teens' attention to the opposite gap, where a small saucer-shaped object had risen into view. From it'd underside protruded three barrels, and with a hiss of compressed air they expelled three glittering gold objects towards Kim. Ron looked on in horror as they latched on to her top, and he recognized them as the homing bugs some of Gemini's missiles used. The sounds of multiple launches from around the room sent his panic level soaring.

But Kim didn't hesitate, she peeled her top off, balled it up, and tossed it as far as she could away from them. Two missiles streaked into view and hit the top, but it didn't offer enough resistance to set them off. Instead, they carried it out of sight, and a double explosion followed. But just before that, another blast seemed to occur on the far side on the console Kim sat beneath.

"What happened there?" Ron asked, and Kim knew what he was talking about. She shrugged. "I think I saw some damage on one missile, two of them must have sideswiped each other, and one went out of control. More importantly, where did that thing that shot me go?" As she spoke, she was unlacing her boots.

Ron began looking for signs of the device, even while asking. "What are you doing that for, KP?"

"Well," She replied as she pulled the first boot off, "If one of those thing latches on to my pants, I'll never get them off over my boots in time!" Once she had the second boot off, she also shed her belt, but not before removing something from it. She saw Ron removing his boots as well. "Don't forget the belt, Ron. But first, see if you still have those spike shuriken Yori gave you."

Ron shook his head. "Sorry, KP! Lost the last one when I overthrew my target and hit the Ice Cream truck last August." Kim rolled her eyes, then became alert, listening to something. She pointed to the gap opposite the one the device had appeared at. Then she rolled onto her hands and knees prior to rising up. Suddenly she heard the device fire, from _behind_ her. This time she felt the impacts, in the last place she wanted to.

"RON! Help me get my pants off!" Fortunately Ron switched to auto-obey, any delay to consider the implications of those words would have been fatal to Kim. He flung himself at her feet, grasped the cuffs of her pants, and pulled them hard even before she could finish unfastening them. He removed a sock as well, and fell onto his back in the process, but he balled them up enough to travel and hurled them over the consoles on the side he had been on. One missile barely cleared the consoles as it dove after it's target, and even with the console protecting them, the triple blasts left their ears ringing.

In her underwear and one sock, Kim was seething. "I wonder if they're deliberately..." She shook her head, then smacked her forehead. "I'm an idiot!" She grabbed her scanner and Kimmunicator , then rummaged in her belt, pulling out two items. One was a longer lead to connect the two devices, and she quickly swapped it for the other. The second was a small balloon with a pocket sized cylinder of helium hooked to it. She inflated the balloon, and tied the scanner to it, before letting it loose to rise up towards the ceiling. She made some adjustments to the Kimmunicator and watched it's screen intently. Then a grin spread on her face.

Keeping her eye on the device, she rose to her knees and readied the collapsible blowgun she'd taken from her belt previously. She aimed at the gap opposite where the sniping device had appeared both times before, but kept watching the Kimmunicator's screen. Then her eyes widened, and she spun around as the device suddenly swung into view where it had twice before. She expelled the projectile from the blowgun while bringing her other arm up across her chest, as the projectile lodged in the center barrel of the saucer just a second before it fired back. Then she winced as two of the tracking bugs latched on to her bare arm, but as she had once told Monique, they didn't hook in deep, and she plucked them out and tossed them away. Then she ducked.

"Where's the third?!" Ron yelled as he 'ducked and covered'. "Still in the barrel, I think!" Kim barely had time to reply before the explosions occurred. This time, two came from where Kim had tossed the bugs, and the third behind the consoles the device had been using as cover while it stalked them. Kim gave Ron a thumb's up, which he returned, grinning.

There was silence for nearly a minute. Then an electronically flattened voice spoke. "SO, you are quite the clever girl, Miss Possible, but I'm not quite finished with you, yet! You must learn that some things are out of your league!"

Kim exchanged 'do you believe this?' looks with Ron before replying. "I'm willing to accept in a way. But right now, don't bother disguising your voice, we know who you are, _Frau_ Director!"

There was a moment's silence, before the undisguised voice replied. "Vell, so you know, do you? Well, it vill do you little good, young lady, for you are about to die!"

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Okay, one or two more chapters, tops. I really should have learned not to say that, but this time I'm 90% positive it's true, I've already written three scenes for the sequel!

Please Read and Review


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

Betty Director sat frowning inside the GJ car, watching a screen concealed in the back seat of the vehicle as the image of one document switched places with another. Wade Load's voice was coming from the speakers. "...only forty-eight hours after nullifying her unconsummated marriage to Myron, Hildegarde Demenz married your brother, Sheldon Director. This was six years ago, now. She had both done in small villages near where she and Myron went on their supposed honeymoon, villages who's records aren't yet fully recorded on computers. That's what me and Miss Barr suspected, so I sent someone to search the places in question for documentary evidence. They definitely wanted the marriage legal and aboveboard."

"Of course they did." Betty responded sourly, "They both wanted the children to be legitimate, especially Sheldon! What about birth certificates for the two of them? Don't tell me she conveniently had them in small...wait, she did, I remember reading something on the subject, our European Director made a joke about her bad timing, being in the middle of nowhere when her time came both times! And worse, I should have known this already! There's a picture that's been bugging me, of Dementor playing with his nephews, but I couldn't figure what about it was bothering me. It was the little boys' faces, I'd seen them before, on my own brother!"

When Wade's response was an exclamation of "Ouch!" Betty scowled curiously at the screen, knowing Wade could see her face. "What?"

"Just realized I had that picture, and one of Sheldon as a child, could have tried running a facial recognition program to look for the resemblance! Anyway, the marriage had an effect on WWEE, financially. At the time of the wedding, their credit rating with HenchCo basically translated to 'All payments in advance', but six months after the wedding, they've got a 5 million dollar line of credit with Hench, and it was a lot bigger before the recent break-up of WWEE. Don't know what it is now, though."

Betty smiled grimly. "Hench found out you were hacking his accounting records and cut you off?"

Suddenly remembering who he was talking to, Wade waffled. "Um, never said _I_ was the original source of that info, did I?"

"No, you didn't." Betty conceded. She sat back, her face grim as her brain raced. "So, Hildegarde Director..." She winced slightly as she said that, "..is now running WWEE in place of her husband. And the fact that she's CEO of D.I.C.K. Means we can launch an immediate investigation of the corporation, to see if it has any financial ties to WWEE! For money laundering purposes, for example."

"Actually, an automated press release just announced her resignation, Doctor Director. She's officially turning the family business over to her brother, the release says, so as to concentrate on her own family matters." Wade informed her. "I don't think Dementor knows who his brother-in-law really is, otherwise I think Myron would have had a lab 'accident' by now. But he must know now!"

"Why?" Betty asked, puzzled.

"Because in the press release, she used the name Hildegarde Demenz-Director, that's why!"

Betty's temples began to throb..."Wade, please send me copies of the Decree of Nullity and that Marriage Certificate, if you please, I need to find someone here to take a little frustration out on."

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Bernadette Barr sat on the side of Shego's bed, now wearing an ankle length flower print kimono in pale blue and white, listening as Shego finished a lengthy monologue. "Anyway, that's all Doctor D was able to cram into the cellphone's message center, or all he had time for. Didn't find the info until after I called for help evading my family, and probably GJ, I suspect Betty Director's fine hand in things."

"Hmph! So I was right about Myron, and Doctor Drakken figured it out, too!" Bernie leaned back against the headboard, arms crossed. "And you guys uncovered a lair being built under Upperton by WWEE? How long have they been working on it?"

"About 2 years, so it was started while Gemini was in control. They took their time to avoid attention. Not sure why that location, because of the GJ base under Middleton, or the Princess, or something entirely different." She tried to shift her position and groaned. "I HATE THIS!" Bernie reached over to help shift her pillows around, and Shego smiled in gratitude. "I suppose it's no surprise that bone knits slower then soft tissue, but with me, I'm used to the fast healing, only broke bones twice before, and certainly not this severely!" She paused, a frown appearing on her face. "And the Princess and the Buffoon rescued me! Man, those two make career choices hard for me! But...it was bad, wasn't it?" She asked cautiously.

Bernie looked away. "I would have helped, but wasn't sure of my footing, and the twins needed attention, they're not quite as resilient as Kim when dealing with that kind of thing I'm afraid." She scowled at her own diversion. "Yes, It was bad. To put it bluntly, you bled all over them, I thought for sure you'd bleed out once they worked you loose, and it was a very near thing, they pumped a lot of plasma and whole blood into you!"

Shego grimaced before asking "How did they get me down, with the ribs...you know?"

Bernie grinned. "By being resourceful! You know Kim has some of her old gadgets in the den at her house? Well, Wade's first rocket pack design was there, and it had something to protect her back and ribs from too hard a landing. Nice rigid piece that Kim called the 'Corset from Hell'. They used that to stabilize your ribs before lowering you down. Firemen came in just after I stopped the bleeding, or got it under control, anyway!"

Shego shook her head in wonder, a smile in her face. "Don't you love irony? Two things I used to hate about the Princess, her resourcefulness and ability to think quick on her feet, and that's what saved me!" As she finished talking, she yawned mightily, enough to actually cause her some pain. "Ouch! Guess I'm still kinda weak, huh?"

Bernie smiled at her. "Rhetorical, much? Just how long will this flight take? And when can I send a message to my family?"

Shego's eyelids fluttered, and Bernie suspected she might be going to ignore the question. But then she spoke, slurring her words slightly. "Quite a while, we're crossing the Atlantic. And prob—probably not until (yawn) we arrive, sorry." Moments later, she was sound asleep. Bernie shook her head slowly. "Having you for a friend will never be boring, I think." She whispered, then rose and hopped on one foot to her own bed, lying down without getting under the covers, determined to think things through. But within a few minutes, her eyelids began to droop, and she was soon asleep as well.

As soon as she was, the forward cabin door opened and one of the Ninja Nurses came in with another blanket, which she spread over the sleeping woman, before leaving again.

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"By the vay, I vould appreciate it if you addressed me properly, _Fraulein_ Possible! My name is now Hildegarde Luise Demenz-Director, and I am currently head of the World Wide Evil Empire in the absence of my beloved husband, Sheldon."

Ron's eyes bugged slightly, then he grinned. "So, does that mean we can call you _Frau_ Double-D?" Now it was Kim's turn for bulging eyes, before she snorted in amusement. She had started rummaging around in her backpack, and after coming up with first a rain slicker, and then a bathing suit, she found a T-shirt and pulled it on.

"_Nein!_ I haf not yet come up with an appropriate codename, so for the moment consider me to be _Frau _Hildy." The two teens blinked, giving each other mildly incredulous looks, as the voice continued. "Now, I am Vundering, vy have you not done anything yet to escape the doom dat is slowly creeping up on you?"

Kim grinned at a wary Ron before replying. "Well, actually, with all this paint splashed around, and the lair never being quite finished, I wondered whether or not you actually have anything working in here, besides the traps, and the missiles?"

"Ah! Vell, you vill soon be finding out, von't you?" This was followed by an odd little titter that nearly made Kim laugh. "Um, not to be offensive, but that won't work as a sinister laugh, you should _really_ drop it in future, if you want to be taken seriously." Ron called out.

"Ron! Remember, _no_ coaching the villains!" Kim hissed at him, but then broke out in a grin.

"_Ja, _you are correct, I vas never meant to be the front for the organization, after all!" Came the response, followed by a deep sigh. "If only poor Sheldon had not become obsessed vith killing dot Doctor Drakken!"

Kim's good humor vanished instantly. "Well, you tried to kill him and Shego too, on New Year's!"

"Vell, I vouldn't have bothered, if I had just known that he had already told der Federal government about the lair! Und then that silly little man found my secret out, and escaped, and somehow defeated 36 of my men in the process! Und he applied for a job with us, once! I am tempted to hire him, just to find out how he manages such things! Also, I intend to change the hiring policies, there are just too many men in dis organization!" Kim could almost envision her glaring at some toadies at that moment. "However, in the interests of morale and der team spirit-building, I have sealed all the holes in the floors, no more dropping of der workers because of bad temper fits!" There was another pause, and Kim got the odd notion the woman was now smiling benignly at her staff.

"Sounds as if she should be in politics herself, Kim!" Ron whispered. Kim returned a glare. "Ron, zip it! Please?"

"But for now, I will sit here and watch your doom creep upon you, Kim Possible!" The voice declared triumphantly.

"Suit yourself." Kim replied. As she did, she took two small disc-shaped objects about two inches in diameter from a compartment on her belt. After fiddling with them and her Kimmunicator for a moment, she tossed one off each end of the platform. Ron nodded in understanding. The discs would detect any toxic fumes rising from the lower levels, or odd radiation, and relay an alarm through the Kimmunicator.

Kim then sat cross legged, and began speaking to Ron in sign language. At first Ron thought it was a message, then realized she was practicing the alphabet, something Ron had yet to master. Rolling his eyes, he began to respond in kind, as practice.

After about ten minutes of this, with no alarm from the Kimmunicator, the voice of Hildegarde came again. "You really aren't going to do anything but sit there, are you?"

"Nope!" Kim responded cheerfully, "We have help coming, and Ron brought enough snackage in his pack to feed us both for two or three days."

"KP! Two or three _days_? There's barely enough to last until dinnertime!" Ron responded in horror.

Kim rolled her eyes. "Rationing, Ron, rationing!" She looked up towards the ceiling. "So, I was right? Nothing else in here works that you can use on us?"

After a moment's silence "_Ja._ Those idiots with the paint! Mind you, I suppose blasters and grenades vould have done even more damage, so it's fortunate ve had the truce...Ach!"

"Don't feel bad, I sort of figured that part out!" Kim assured her, "NO lethal weapons, but you should have told them to stay away from each other. I mean, this is like some kind of prank, sneak in and paint your enemy's base your colors?" Before '_Frau _Hildy' could reply, Kim's cellphone buzzed. Surprised, Kim pulled it out of a pouch on her belt. _"Glad I didn't put it in my pants pocket! Bonnie?" _She wondered, seeing the caller ID.

The novelty of having her one-time social nemesis call her had not quite worn off, which was clearly displayed by her puzzled look as she answered. "Bonnie? What's the sitch?"

There was an edge of anger in Bonnie's tone. "Is there any possible way you could arrange a little face-to-face between me and this shape-shifter girl, Camille Leon?"

Now even more puzzled, Kim could only ask "Why?"

"Well, I've found out why Junior came to Middleton to serenade me in that ridiculous outfit on New Year's. He thought we were still having a relationship!" Was the brunette's testy reply.

Kim blinked, then made the connection. "You mean, Camille has been impersonating _you,_ and fooling around with Junior?" The sound of someone clearing their throat came over the speaker system, but Kim ignored it.

"_And _getting some serious 'bling' out of it, according to his father!" Bonnie exclaimed, "Junior has been showering her with gifts of all kinds, in fact! I guess I should have listened to him on New Year's, but I was just too pissed off!"

"His father? Senor Senior Senior called you?"

"Oh, no! That would be too simple!" Bonnie replied sarcastically, "Remember that drone of his, the round thing? Well, I was going through the cafeteria line, and it was _serving_ the mystery meat! Then it followed me and Mon and Tara to our table. Senior showed me some pictures from surveillance cameras from all over Europe, all seemingly of me and Junior. But they were dated, so I told him to check attendance records, I was in school those days. So he says 'It is as I feared'." Her voice softened "I feel kind of bad for him, and Junior. It was because of that Camille woman that he dressed that way for his 'serenade', there's no telling how perverted she pretended to be as me, and I want..."

"EXCUSE ME, But can this not vait?" Hildegarde bellowed over the speakers. Kim actually started violently, she'd almost forgotten...

"Who the hell was that?" Bonnie asked in her ear. Kim also thought she heard Monique's voice "Who was who? What's going on?"

"It's just the villainess du jour_, _I'm sort of in a lair sitch, at the moment!" Kim replied. She heard something like a strangled squawk from the speakers.

"Oh." Bonnie sounded stunned. "So I called you at a bad time, right?" Kim then heard what sounded like Bonnie, or someone, smacking their forehead.

"Not so much." She replied, "Me and Ron are just keeping our heads down until help gets here, or Wade disables the firing system for these missiles in here."

"Missiles?" Bonnie asked faintly, followed by a much louder repetition by Monique, followed by "Give me the phone, let me talk to the girl!"

"I am afraid that vill not happen, _Fraulein _Possible, there is no remote access for der missile controls, some of us learn from our mistakes!" Kim looked down at the Kimmunicator screen, and saw a small emoticon in one corner turn to a frown at those words.

"Girlfriend, what the heck is going on? I thought you said you were just going to Upperton?" Monique's anxious voice came through the cell.

"I _am_ in Upperton, Mon, but really can't talk now, I'll call you as soon as I'm out of here and fill you in on the details. But right now, have to go, seriously!"

"Okay, but you had _better_ call, you hear me? We may need you again later tonight, trying another double date, though this time, we're only half-blind!" Monique responded, trying to hide her concern.

Rather then hang up, Kim had to ask "Really? Who's going in blind, and who is the guy you know?"

"Bonnie, and Tad Rushton, and I know his rep, don't remind me, just rest assured he won't be able to throw any split-finger fastballs this year if his hands wander! But right now, take care, Kim, please?"

"I will, you take care, too, and tell Bonnie I'll try and think of something to do concerning Camille." Kim closed her phone, then looked upwards. "Excuse me, but I once saw a video clip of you addressing a women's club in England, and your English had no trace of an accent, so why fake it?"

After a brief silence, the exasperated reply came. "Because my normal voice sounds about as sinister as an episode of 'Pals', so I added the accent to be more threatening!"

"Have you ever watched them during 'Sweeps Weeks'..." Ron began, but Kim shushed him before addressing Hildegarde, "That's sort of a generational thing, doesn't really do anything for me."

Another period of silence, then "As I said, I never expected to fill this role! I don't have the disposition for it, I have to think of the children, which reminds me, I have to have them collected from Wilhelm. Also need to make sure Myron's credit line has been discontinued. I'm sure the idiot's little game with the names helped give my secret away. Not that it matters too much, the records were due to be computerized before summer, so the cat would have been out of the bag sooner or later!"

"Where's Myron now?" Kim asked curiously. Something was poking her left calf, and she looked down to see what before squashing it. Her eyes widened at the sight of a foot-tall purple figure. Ron had seen him, too.

"He is currently at the Bermuda Triangle with two 'guests'. You know, his popularity with the _damen_ makes me wonder sometimes...Ach! Road not traveled, _Ja? _Anyway, I believe_ Herr _Brotherson will have a full time dishwasher for some time to come because Myron is a big spender, and must have run up quite a bill by now."

Mego was gesturing for Kim to get under the consoles, and she complied, as did Ron. Meanwhile, Hildegarde continued to speak. "You know, this wasn't what I expected in a Hero-versus-Villain conversation at all. Where is the snappy talk, the defiant declarations, and all that?"

"Well, sometimes you're in the mood, and sometimes..." Kim broke off as she heard the sound of running feet. _Lots _of running feet, followed by the sound of multiple missiles launches. Hers wide eyes met Ron's and they both opened their mouths and screamed as a series of blasts sent concussive force battering throughout the chamber.

After a time it died down, save for the ringing in Kim's ears. And Ron still screaming. She had just started to dig for something to throw at him when he opened his eyes and stopped screaming. He worked his jaw and tilted his head back and forth as his ears popped.

"..okay.." Kim looked down to see Mego reeling next to her, "Maybe using the Wegos as decoys to expend all the missiles wasn't such a bright idea." He spontaneously began to grow, reaching full size even as he flopped to the floor. "Of course, that means we go back to Plan A..." he mumbled groggily.

"Do I want to know?" Kim asked just before a the voice of Hego rang through the room. "Stand Back! I'll handle this!" She desperately began to rummage through her gear for her anti-concussion ear plugs, just as more missiles could be heard launching.

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Betty Director, with Will alongside her, exited the elevator on the third level some twenty minutes later. A short hallway on this level led to a circular central room with several doors leading from it. Someone was yelling about finding the cut-off for the fire suppression system on level four, and something about the drains being closed on five and six, with six half full of water already.

Team Go was to her right, or three of them were, Mego, sulking, and the Wegos looking a little disoriented. She didn't see Hego at all. Kim and Ron were sitting on a padded bench across from the elevator, wrapped in blankets and looking thoroughly bedraggled. Though she wanted to head straight to them, Betty paused to speak with the paramedic tending to Team Go. "Are they all right?"

The paramedic nodded. "Mego and Hego are unhurt, basically, though Mego's hearing is a bit off at the moment. The Wegos are suffering some kind of feedback from having their duplicates blown up. Doesn't hurt them, but it does tend to make them a bit dizzy, I'm told."

"What happened down below? I hear the Task Force leader lost contact with Team Go at some point." She actually addressed both Mego and the paramedic, and it was Mego who sourly responded. "Yeah, Hego 'broke' contact because we had orders not to do anything until we had someone from the task force to supervise, but he...actually we thought Kim and Ron needed help immediately, so we tried two plans. Neither worked out quite the way we expected..."

"You started a fire?" Betty asked.

"Well, sort of. Hego was right that the missiles couldn't hurt him, but enough of them hitting him at once could throw him around pretty good, and he smashed some electrical equipment, there was all that paint around, some of it I guess was still tacky underneath...and then the foam and water started falling. Good news is, all the missiles were used up!"

Betty shook her head and started towards Kim and Ron. She saw Kim whisper to Ron, who nodded, rose, and walked to one side as Kim stood up and went to an open doorway. "Agent Du, find where Hego is, I'm sure he's assisting with the search of the level, don't let him touch anything that looks the least bit dangerous, or fragile, got it?" Will acknowledged the order and marched away, while Betty followed Kim into a small, empty storeroom.

The girl leaned on a set of shelves and regarded Betty neutrally. Betty wondered if it had anything to do with the discovery of her sister-in-law situation, though she couldn't think why that would cause the girl to be unfriendly. Of course, maybe she was expecting what Betty was going to say.

"I'm disappointed that you didn't bring this business to me first, Kimberly." She began, and frowned inwardly when Kim didn't look guilty, or uncomfortable. "After all, even after learning the identity of WWEE's new chief, I thought you trusted me enough personally not to think I would be 'compromised', as one charming gentleman upstairs actually said to my face!" She had to struggle to keep the rancor she felt out of her voice.

"I'm afraid that the disappointment goes both ways, Doctor Director." Kim responded in a steady voice, "And as to trust, I can't trust you right now, and that's because you basically told me not to, in certain circumstances."

Betty blinked, began to speak, then shut her mouth, preferring to wait and see what inspired such words from the girl who had always previously looked up to her. Kim's next words furnished a very big clue.

"I went to see Professor Bortell." A small knot began to form in Betty's gut at Kim's words. "He told me about the other technologies on the data module Drakken stole. The one who's access had been cracked before I recovered it, and gave it to GJ to return to the Professor." When Betty didn't comment, Kim continued. "As soon as he got it back, he determined that the data had been copied. He didn't say anything at the time, he thought Drakken had done it, and wanted to see if Drakken could complete the projects successfully."

"But then, shortly after my bad experience, he received a lengthy message anonymously. It told how the technologies had been finished successfully, and then had been tested by having both 'installed' together into two test subjects, a teenage girl, and a middle aged man." The knot seemed to be expanding and tightening at the same time, and Betty had a hard time forcing down a number of responses she could have made.

"It detailed two sets of circumstances where a malfunction in the 'memory cache' program was caused by the 'emotion suppression' program, giving very complete details, up to a point. It went on to say that if Professor Bortell could overcome the compatibility problems, the results might be quite profitable, especially if an exclusive deal could be made for the results."

"_I am going to kill that man!"_ Betty thought, referring to her former Deputy. Nothing showed on her face though as she replied. "You said the message was anonymous, do you think Drakken sent it?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Betty knew she'd made a mistake. Something closed a bit in Kim's eyes, and the girl looked to one side before she replied.

"Professor Bortell knew at once that it couldn't be Drakken, because he wouldn't have admitted to not being able to solve the problem himself, or talk about 'profits'. And though the sender was supposedly trying to be anonymous, he had to leave a way for Bortell to contact him in case he resolved the problem, so he gave him such a means." The knot had gotten as big and tight as it could, but now Betty had an acidic taste at the back of her throat.

"Professor Bortell contacted some people he knew in our government.." Those words caused Betty's fists to clench, and she moved them behind her back as casually as possible. "And they told him that it was a contact channel established by Global Justice for undercover agents to send messages to Headquarters."

Betty's head swam as conflicting emotions raged through her. Anger, directed at her former Deputy. Shock, that Bortell's contacts knew of the channel. And deep concern that they could now link GJ to the theft of Bortell's inventions, and their experimental use on human subjects.

"I think I know when the stuff was put in me." Kim continued in a level voice. "And I don't remember seeing you on that visit. And with Doctor Drakken, they made a mistake. After the malfunction, the cache would 'dump' at the next scheduled point, then switch it's default to 'erase'. But they used a manual delete command on Doctor Drakken, and thought they'd erased everything that counted, and he'd just blame things on his concussion. But, there was a bit more then an hour between their 'delete' command and the next regular 'dump or delete' moment. And when that point came, the intervening memories were dumped into his regular memory, and he clearly heard some careless talk about an 'experiment' with him as the subject."

"But he said nothing at the time." Betty stated flatly.

"Well, what would have been the point?" Kim asked reasonably. "Who would have taken his word, then or later? Besides, he wanted to try and figure out exactly what had been done to him before acting, and he wasn't sure until recently. Anyway, it didn't take the two of us long to find out by comparing notes that the two events occurred around the same time, the visit where I think I had the stuff put in me, and when Drakken was being held at GJ, rather then a regular facility."

"Now, neither of us remember seeing you there, and we could just decide you weren't involved." Kim looked Betty in the eye. "But I can't. Not with something this major. And you can't tell me someone else in your organization is responsible, because that's GJ's internal business, and something I'm not cleared to know, as you've informed me in the past. Just as you were candid about lying to me in a good cause, such as protecting the integrity of Global Justice. And even if you told me you were not responsible, I—I might accept your word for something minor, but not this, I just can't." She tightened the blanket around herself. "So...I can't work with GJ right now. Maybe later, if you...maybe never."

"That might limit your activities, Kim." Betty kept her voice level with an effort, "We've taken over most of your travel to and from missions, since you became concerned that you were putting your 'rides' in danger on some."

Kim nodded. "I know, I guess I'll have to scale back my 'activities' in that area." She hesitated a moment, then continued, "Maybe plan on giving them up altogether, leave the work for others." She was looking at the floor as she said this, and then began to walk towards the door, eyes still down.

A lot of emotions were warring in Betty. Some were being quashed, like a small sense of outrage at Kim 'judging' her and GJ. There was also a sense of relief coming from somewhere about the girl getting out of the business, living a normal life like she deserved. But the side of Betty that calculated wins and losses could only see losing Kim as a loss, something Betty never accepted without a fight.

Yet she didn't say anything as the girl passed her, didn't try and stop her or renew the conversation, and she didn't know exactly why. Instead she just stood there for more then a minute before turning and leaving the room herself.

She saw Kim and Ron almost to the elevators, Ron's arm around Kim's shoulders, though Betty suspected that Ron was ignorant of what Kim and Drakken had found out. _"Drakken! He's getting the credit for finding a nearly completed WWEE base, practically on my own doorstep! And worse, he apparently deserves it!" _She shook her head angrily as she began to circle the central room, looking through doors for Will Du. She wanted to leave, and could have just called him on her comm, but chose to walk off a little frustration. Then she thought she heard his voice from one room. And then Hego's.

"I believe this is stolen property, Agent Du." the blue hero declared with authority.

"Really?" Was Will's sarcastic reply. "We're in a base built be an evil organization, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a lot of potentially stolen items in here!"

"Yes, but this is definitely stolen! You see this label: Property of H. Bor- can't see the rest, let me turn it around a bit..."

Betty came to a stop. Beyond the door, she heard Will again. "Please be careful, you're unscrewing the two halves."

"_H Bor-?" _Betty thought. Then her eye widened in alarm. _"H. BorTELL?" _"DU! Hego! Don't touch that..." Then a crash came from the room, followed by Hego's "OOP!"

0000000000

Kim and Ron exited the elevator in the rear of Kraaz Pizza, the cover for the main entrance to the base. There were a large number of Federal Agents and military personnel milling around, and Kim spotted Brenda Core, who shot the girl a smile, which became puzzled when Kim looked away.

"Well KP, we have to chalk this one up as a win, don't we?" Ron said. He wasn't looking at her as he said it, and missed the flinch and pained look that crossed her face. Before she could answer however, an alarm siren began to wail, and they both looked around in alarm.

"ALERT, ALERT! Contamination detected on level three, all seals closing...all seals closed, floor isolated." A computerized voice announced, before repeating the message in three other languages.

Kim looked around. "Where are the HAZMAT suits!" She demanded.

"Miss Possible!" One of the senior feds admonished her, "You've done enough today, let somebody who is rested handle this!" Behind him, Brenda was opening a case of equipment frantically, and Kim shook her head and started towards her, setting her backpack down.

"Contamination identified." The computer spoke again. "Item A17204G. Designation:Nanomoths."

Kim froze for a moment, then turned, scooped up her pack, and took Ron by the arm. "He's right, I'm feeling a bit tired, and we have that school make-up work to do, and Bonnie and Monique might need a getaway car..." Her babbling voice faded as she exited the building.

"Agent Core." Brenda turned from the case of HAZMAT equipment to find Abby Hogan standing behind her, face solemn. "Ma'am?"

"Would I be considered a complete coward if I took my four weeks' accumulated vacation, effective immediately?"

Couldn't think of a better closing line, but I will, never fear!

Next chapter will be the last, but some things on the periphery will be left open for the sequel. The Camille Leon problem, for instance. Put that in so Junior's bad taste on NY wouldn't be entirely his fault.

Anyway, Please Read and Review.


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

**January Sixth**

Doctor Drakken sat at his desk in the Mayor's Office. Though there were many items on the desk for his attention, he was raptly watching the TV set mounted in the wall next to his desk. On the screen, he saw a visibly nervous Professor Dementor standing behind a small forest of microphones as he began a press conference. The words crawling across the bottom of the screen informed the viewers that public confidence in the integrity of Demenz Industrial Conglomerate(_Someone cut the 'of Koenigsberg' part, Drakken mused)_ was in poor shape in the wake of the previous CEO's resignation, and rumors of financial improprieties on her part.

As he read this with a faint smile on his face, Drakken was mildly annoyed when his intercom buzzed. "Yes?"

The professionally dry tones of his receptionist came through. "Sir, you have a phone call from a _Frau _Demenz-Director."

Drakken's eyebrows rose. "Well, well! By all means, put her through, and make sure you have a fresh tape in your little eavesdropping device."

"Mister Mayor, please, nothing is on tape anymore." She chided him.

Drakken nodded. "True, true." Then he switched on his speaker phone and leaned back in his chair. _"Frau _Demenz-Director, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Hildy replied in a businesslike manner. "Well, Doctor Drakken, I felt the need to clear the air a bit between us. For one thing, I wish to make it clear I don't bear you sufficient ill will over the matter of the Upperton base to pursue any sort of vendetta against you and yours. In fact, I would not have authorized the attack on you on New Year's had I known that the base was already compromised, both by your actions, and those EWWE idiots playing their silly 'prank' with the paint."

"Which was due to your forbidding them to engage in more lethal activities while you had a truce going with Alpha, of course." Drakken replied, "Tell me, how did that work out?"

"Not well at all." Hildy replied in exasperated tones. "It was of course a ploy to try and trap that impertinent traitor by pretending I was interested in a joint venture, both professional and personal."

Drakken blinked in shock. "Personal?" he asked, mildly incredulous.

"_Ja!_ Can you imagine? My poor Sheldon barely gone from me, and that—I won't say the word, but he propositioned _me!_ Mind you, it may also have been a ploy, but the man is a true chauvinist, so it may have been a real plan to seduce me!"

Drakken shook his head, suppressing a chuckle, before becoming serious. "But you did try and kill me, the third attempt by WWEE to kill me and Shego in the past few months."

There was a moment of silence before Hildy replied. "Three attempts? I believe there were two, on Halloween by my dear Sheldon in person, and this last one that I ordered."

Drakken rolled his eyes as he replied with faint derision. "Please, don't tell me that you think it was just coincidence, and a very _long_ coincidence, that Gemini's new stealth aircraft just happened to be flying close enough to my hovercraft, over the whole wide Atlantic, for Shego to hit it with a plasma burst? While high on pollen? It wouldn't surprise me If she actually saw it and fired the blast towards it intentionally, though without realizing it's import. I've studied the recordings from that flight. My on board sensors indicate that the blasts she was throwing were colorful but had little destructive force, well short of her best. So, how could they have destroyed an aircraft? Unless they hit something that exploded, perhaps? Such as an air-to-air missile?"

"So, I also double-checked my source for the information concerning the shipment of the Quantum Synchronizer. And I found that the whole thing had been a little too convenient not to be suspicious. I believe your husband set me up to fight Dementor, hoping one or both of us would manage to kill each other. Despite the fact we've never managed it before, and as far as I know, neither of us had ever desired to. Perhaps Gemini had something planned that would have killed both of us while looking like it was our fault, who knows?"

"IN any event, having failed there, I believe he followed Shego and I on our flight back, meaning to dispose of us somewhere over the ocean, and let people think that perhaps damage from the fight caused the crash, or something else entirely. Why he waited so long to strike, I don't know, perhaps because we were still in radar coverage from England? In any event, it didn't take me long to get suspicious once I actually considered how long the odds had been of that shot being entirely accidental. I wasn't very quick to take precautions against a follow-up attack, I'll admit, but I wouldn't have anticipated that attack at the Halloween party."

Hildy was silent for nearly a minute before responding. "So, he turns it around and claims you attacked him first, justifying his personal involvement in your assassination, which I had expressly forbade, I see. Sheldon, my Sheldon, you are a naughty...ahem, sorry, I became distracted there for a moment. I knew nothing of this, I assure you. But why kill you, when it was his intent to bring all of you 'independents' under his thumb?"

Drakken took a moment to frame his reply. "Well, I would dearly like to say that he knew I would never knuckle under to him, but truthfully I think we were to be an example. He'd use subtle, or not so subtle hints that he was in fact responsible for our deaths when putting pressure on the others. Other then that, I have no idea why I was chosen as the example."

"Well, I was never a supporter of that plan, I must tell you. I did not think any of you would be useful to us at all. Not only would you be considered what you call the 'loose cannons', but truthfully, and no offense intended, you all seemed to be 'losers', to be truthful, never able to triumph over Kim Possible. And _Ja_, I must include my own brother in that list." She paused. "Look at him, I almost feel sorry to have left him with barely enough to remain solvent, if he's very careful. But I was dedicated to my husband's dream, you see, and that's why I sacrificed all that dear father built and left us."

Drakken realized that she was watching the same program that he was, and a faint smile played on his lips. Just then, a second, and very familiar figure stepped into view on the screen.

Hildy obviously saw him, too. "Vat—I mean _what,_ is Senor Senior Senior doing there?" she asked, clearly confused. Drakken reached over and turned the volume up with the remote.

"Yes, Madam," Senior was responding to a question from a reporter, "I began to obtain an interest in the Demenz Conglomerate back in late September, and had a majority share of the stock by late November." Drakken snorted at an outraged squawk from his speaker. "And being a shareholder, I felt it my right to know how the finances of the Conglomerate were being handled. So, I had a look at the books, as it were." Dementor looked up at Senior in surprise, obviously not having heard any of this before.

"I—I never authorized anyone to look at the books!" Hildy exclaimed. _"Hello! Supervillain?" _Drakken thought in response, but kept silent.

"..and I found many irregularities, all being carried out by the CEO! Secret accounts, hidden assets, all in her name, or under fictitious names or companies!" Senior shrugged eloquently. "Well, what could I do, but use my influence to have those funds transferred back to the Demenz Conglomerate, and ask for the removal of the CEO." Dementor blinked rapidly as if trying to awaken from a dream. His sister, however, was wide awake, and quite mad.

"Vat! I mean..never mind! He never asked for my removal! And he could not have transferred those funds back! You!" she shouted at someone on her end, "Check the balance of the Singapore accounts! I'll check the Bahamian and Cayman Island ones."

Meanwhile, Senior was still answering questions. "The total? Ah, well, something over thirteen billion dollars, American." A dazed smile began to spread across Dementor's face.

"What do you mean, I personally arranged the transfer?" Hildy was bellowing now. "I have not been at that bank since last March! It must have been an...impostor? Like..._Nein,_ that little slip of a girl could never impersonate me!" Then she paused, and Drakken sensed she was now addressing him, "Could she?"

Drakken steepled his fingers beneath his chin, nodding to himself, then replied. "Well, not all of you, obviously! But with your fashion sense, she only had to duplicate your face, a well-padded..no offense..business suit would then have been all she needed."

"But...no, she would have needed the access codes and passwords, and those are only in my head! And in a small locked box in a very secure room at a location known only to me, which only I can enter! And the ventilation shafts are only eight inches wide, so none of that sneaking in that way! Not even Shego could have gotten in that room, without leaving some trace."

"Hmm." Drakken responded thoughtfully, 'Have you ever heard of a 'Naga-Ninja'? No, of course not, they're brand new! A little creation of DNAmy's, a cross of some form of serpent, one of the tree dwelling kind, and one of Monty's Monkey Ninjas. Snake body, simian torso, had a devil of a time convincing Amy it had to be small, she likes to make her babies big, you know? Anyway, it was the best thing we could think of." _"We should be on the look-out for blue Naked Mole Rats with delusions of grandeur?" _his previous words popped into his head unbidden, and he shuddered. _"Came so close to letting that slip in front of Amy!"_

There was a lot of muffled talking on the other end of the line, before Hildy came back on. "Do you realize what this means? I cannot send my little ones to Harvard, and EWWE will now be the dominant power!"

Drakken blinked, then replied "Er, not exactly, Alpha apparently was keeping track of all your financial arrangements, and made his own to tap into your funds to keep EWWE going until he could get some income of his own, or a line of credit somewhere." Then unable to contain his curiosity, "Harvard?"

"_Ja_," she replied morosely, "Business School. I didn't want them to make the same mistakes as their father. Running an evil empire dedicated to taking over the world is difficult, but it does not excuse fiscal irresponsibility!"

"Quite." Drakken replied. "By the way, someone with exceptional hacking skills has seen to it that all of your remaining bases have received the news that you won't be able to make the payroll at the end of the month. EWWE's bases, too. So, you might have to deal with some abrupt 'downsizing'."

Hildy's response was defiant. _"Nein!_ I will just get a loan! I'm sure Jack Hench will extend me some credit..." She stopped as she heard Drakken 'tsk-tsking' her. "What?"

"Jack Hench has the exclusive rights to build all villain lairs in this part of the United States, my dear _Frau_, rights negotiated and recognized by some very powerful people in the crime world. Using those other men to build the lair under Upperton was a serious affront to him, and he is not likely to forgive you that easily. Even for business."

"That was Sheldon's..." she broke off, and Drakken waited patiently. Finally she spoke again. "All of you worked together for this? I don't understand..."

Drakken drew a deep breath before responding. "It's actually quite simple. Myself and my associates may not have been the peak of human villainy, which I am not at all unhappy about. We may have a poor track record. We may never have managed, individually or collectively, to overcome a feisty teenage girl and her friends. But we know what to do when a larger predator comes around. We close ranks. Good Day, _Frau_ Demenz-Director, I have work to get back to."

As he disconnected, Drakken opened a small console on his desk top and flipped a switch. The office was now soundproof. He then leaned back in his chair. A chuckle began in his chest, then began to build, until he was soon indulging in full-blown laughter, just as maniacal as when he'd first become a supervillain. But then again, some things just couldn't be changed.

When he finally wound down, he sighed happily. "That felt good..."

0000000000

**January the Seventh**

"Good Morning, Shego." Bernadette Barr greeted the thief as she gingerly walked into the large dining room of Senor Senior Senior's private residence. Bernie was halfway through a substantial breakfast, while reading a Spanish-language newspaper.

"Oh, yeah, a f—um, morning, Bernie." Shego moderated her response as she caught sight of their host standing by the window. She nodded as a servant pulled her chair out for her and helped her seat herself.

"Can I ask if you're feeling any better?" Bernie asked politely.

Shego made a face before nodding. "Sure you can, I'm sorry about my behavior after we arrived, I just hate being an invalid!"

Bernie smiled tolerantly. "No problem, I'm used to it. But you didn't answer me, though the fact you're upright at all shows how much faster you heal then normal. By the way, got that message off to my family, so they know the kidnapping wasn't for ransom."

Shego's eyes widened as she tried to keep the juice she was sipping from taking a detour from it's desired path. When it was safely swallowed, she responded "Did you actually call it a kidnapping?"

"Sure, I have a reputation for being reliable to uphold, couldn't say I just decided to dump my responsibilities and take off now, could I?" Bernie replied, then looked up as Senior approached and took his seat at the head of the table.

He smiled graciously at Shego. "You didn't answer Miss Barr's question, my dear, how are you feeling today?"

Shego returned the smile. "I'm better, and Thank You again for letting me stay here, and apparently allowing yourself to become an accessory in a kidnapping." She looked pointedly at Bernie, who shrugged and continued eating. Another servant arrived with Shego's plate, and she made another face, but refrained from any complaint as she began to eat.

"Not at all, My Dear, I am pleased you thought of me in this matter." her host responded warmly. "And I do not believe Miss Barr will be specifying any charges against either of us."

"Not if Shego refrains from getting me naked in public again." Bernie commented with a faint grin.

"Well, the beaches on this island are private, you can wear what you wish, Grandma." Shego responded with feigned asperity.

Bernie, who was currently wearing a rather elegant peignoir supplied to her the previous evening, snorted in amusement. "Unless our host has a wide selection of female clothing available, my wardrobe choices are limited. Besides, I think I'll stick to the pool for now."

Shego had to finish chewing and swallowing a mouthful of omelet before replying. "If it's just to keep me company, you don't have to, Senior and I have a few old times to discuss, so I won't lack for companionship. And as soon as I can manage, I intend to hit those beaches myself. The pool is more Junior's area, anyway."

"I was going to ask, why is Junior pretending to sulk?" Bernie asked their host.

He beamed at her. "Ah! So you've noticed? He was sulking for real for a brief period after learning that he had been fooled by Miss Leon. But the last two days, he has been pretending, while trying to covertly contact that young woman."

Shego's eyebrows rose. "Really? Has Junior realized the benefits of having a girlfriend who can be any woman?"

Senior frowned. "I sincerely hope not! But that brings up another subject that must be addressed by me. How to make my final arrangements. I have my attorneys coming to see me shortly to finalize my Last Will and Testament."

Now Shego scowled, and her appetite, already discouraged by her menu, now deserted her completely. "Are you feeling okay?" She asked a tad apprehensively.

Senior smiled and waved a dismissive hand. "I feel quite well, Shego, but I'm no fool, there is too much at stake not to be prepared." He paused briefly before continuing with a sigh, "It is obvious Junior has no head for business, and anyone I trust to run my empire for him would be able to rob him blind if they chose. So I have begun to liquidate my business holdings. I will leave just money and negotiable securities, as well as all the private real estate I own."

Shego shook her head, face grim. "Yeah, well, as soon as the news gets out that you're gone, Junior will be the target of every con artist and gold digger in the world who can afford the travel expenses to get here. They'll do their damnedest to bilk him out of every Euro you leave him!"

Senior nodded sadly. "True, true!" Then he brightened, "Which is why I intend to appoint a trustee to handle all that money. They will be limited as to what they can do with it, and chiefly will just make sure Junior gets his regular allowance." He looked at the two women sternly. "No more then 3 million a month! Except December, of course, for Christmas! They will also try and protect him from the aforementioned charlatans as much as possible."

Shego snorted. "That'd be some job! Some cute blond would probably convince Junior to challenge your will in court, to get out of that, and _then_ she'd take him to the cleaners!" She then frowned, "Or not. Having Junior as a husband would have it's advantages as well." She mused aloud.

Senior nodded. "Yes, he is a fine specimen of manhood, is he not?"

Shego started. "Well, yeah..not what I meant, but there's that, too!"

Senior nodded again. "The trustee must be someone Junior likes, and can handle him properly." He observed.

"What, a Mother figure? An authority figure? Both? Neither?" Shego sighed in exasperation. "She'd have to be a mother herself, or an experienced babysitter."

Senior smiled widely. "Yes, yes! An expert babysitter, not to disparage my son too much, might have the skills necessary. Or rather, a former expert babysitter, Hmm?" He met Shego's gaze. Comprehension dawned in the thief's eyes, and she looked across the table, where Bernie had frozen with her last forkful of food almost to her mouth. The nurse's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What?"

Senior continued to smile as he pushed back his chair and rose to his feet. "I have many matters to attend to, concerning Wilhelm's little problem, I intend to forcefully suggest he either take a partner to handle the business, or cease diverting his attention with a criminal career. Good Day to you, Ladies, Continue to enjoy your stay." As he left the room, Shego sat staring at Bernie with a calculating look on her face.

"He's not serious!" Bernie hissed at her. "How could he be, he's only known me less then a day...I think...but anyway, it's ridiculous! How could he trust me with billions of dollars, a nearly total stranger?"

"I don't know," Shego replied thoughtfully, "But it does make me wonder..."

"Wonder what?" Bernie asked impatiently after a long moment's silence.

"How do you feel about Same-sex marriage?"

"Ho—wh—I-SHEGO!"

"OOo, lovely shade of red there, better cut back on the sodium! And don't throw that, it's probably worth a year's salary!"

0000000000

"So, you were in control of this 'dream link' of yours and Ron's all the time?" Monique asked her best friend as the two sat in the school cafeteria. Ron, Bonnie and Tara, their regular table mates, were still going through the line for food.

Kim shook her head. "No, at first it was a side-effect of Drakken's invention. Finding out about Professor Bortell's invention later was just a coincidence. And I'm sorry I lied to you about it." Kim ended contritely.

Monique's brow furrowed in puzzlement. "When did you lie to me? Oh, you may have hidden things from me, but we don't really need to know all each other's secrets, Kim."

Kim shook her head. "No, I'm pretty sure that somewhere along the line I lied to you. Remember when you asked me to concentrate, here, and see if I could see through Ron's eyes? When we were talking just before that, I pretty much denied knowing what was going on."

"Pfhhtt! You had your reasons, girlfriend! Pride chief among them, I'm thinking!"

Kim seemed to cringe slightly. "I didn't want people to think I was using Ron as a crutch!" She responded in a tight voice.

"Or anything else as one?" Monique responded with one eyebrow raised. "As to Ronnie, he's going to be your husband, and though I don't believe 'crutch' is the word used normally, some duties he may have to perform for you, and vice versa, might just qualify either of you for the term."

Kim sighed, relaxing. "Mon, I talk to you about problems all the time, the kind any girl has. I talk about things like that with a lot of people. But when it comes to problems I think stem from my missions, I rarely admit to them with anyone. You see, I'm fully aware how lucky I am to be allowed to do what I do, by my parents, and others. And I like doing it! So, I think I've always been afraid to admit that I had that kind problem, for fear they'd forbid me to continue."

"Got you. Careful, here comes company." Monique warned her as Ron led the others to the table. Kim nodded and put a smile on her face as she turned to greet Ron. "You receiving any feedback on 'Mad Dogs and Aliens' from the other students yet, Ron?" Monique asked.

He shrugged as he sat and began to eat. Between mouthfuls, he managed some form of response. "Reger went on for about ten minutes in History. Big Mike just about dislocated my shoulder with his 'pat', so I assume he liked it. Three or four others were divided as to whether I should have brought 'Science Fiction' into the series."

"Like weather control machines and the like don't constitute 'science fiction'?" Bonnie commented sarcastically.

"Not really." Tara answered, "I mean, they don't call those spy movies with fantastic gadgets science fiction, do they?" Bonnie blinked at the blond for a moment, then shrugged. "Okay, you have a point." she conceded.

"Anyway, it's done! And all the stories to the finale are done, sort of." Ron announced through his napkin. "Truthfully, I'm much more pumped about our first successful mission of the new year!"

Kim sighed, drawing their eyes to her. She blushed slightly when she realized it. "Sorry, just thinking there will be a slight drop in the missions, and a bit guilty thinking about the ones I can't get to now. I mean, I was right when I decided to depend more on GJ for transport, there was a risk one of my regular rides could have been in endangered by helping me, and I couldn't live with that possibility. So, we might not be going overseas, for one thing. Of course, that will make it easier for me to concentrate on graduating, and what comes after..." She trailed off, not sounding all that convincing.

"Well, girlfriend, the world will just have to struggle by with a little less of your attention, that's all." Monique quipped. But she saw that Kim wasn't amused.

"Mon, I never thought I was all that important, it's not what the world needs, it's what _I_ need, I..." Then she stopped abruptly and turned bright red. "I..I didn't mean that to sound so selfish, I..." She suddenly snapped her mouth shut and looked down at her hands.

Since Ron, the usual source of wisdom(?) in such matters had his mouth more then full, Bonnie filled in, with a slight smirk. "That's okay, Possible, you can slip a little towards the 'Dark Side'. You just have to start worrying if you pass me going the other way."

Kim snorted and shook her head before concentrating on finishing her lunch. Then Tara suddenly asked. "Oh, Kim, I never asked, where are you and your family living now?"

Kim shrugged. "Well, it's nice to be on my own, even if it makes Dad nervous. Still not sure he hasn't had Uncle Slim have one of his 'birds' keeping watch over me. What's weird is living in an apartment that used to be Dementor's 'secret' hideout! I hear weird noises at night, I _can't_ ignore them! But, at least I'm Tweeb-free for now. My family if living in a condo Bernie's Dad offered them. It's nice, but again, it has this unsightly infestation..." A loud raspberry blown in tandem by her brothers as they passed by and caught her comment made her grin. "One good point about the apartment, though, there's enough power there to leave everything on 24/7, and no bill!"

"How long until your house is habitable again?" Bonnie asked as she checked the clock.

Kim made a face. "Not until the end of February, the way they're talking. We need 'special' contractors, you see, and they're all busy right now building a base for some special intelligence outfit out in California."

"Speaking of bases, did you hear Upperton's temporary Mayor wants to turn the WWEE base into a tourist attraction, or maybe even some kind of underground theme park?" Ron asked between mouthfuls.

Kim's head snapped around to stare incredulously at him. "Where did you hear that? And are you kidding? Answer in reverse order, please!"

Ron grinned smugly. "_So_ not kidding! Mister Barkin mentioned it. I mean, after all the death traps are cleared out, and all the dangerous materials, of course. They may even want you and me to endorse it, wouldn't that be cool!"

Kim closed her eyes while frowning mightily. "Uh, so _not!_ I mean, a lair, turned into an amusement park? That is so wrongsick!"

Ron's face fell. "So, you don't think I should ask Mom to see if Drakken will rent Middleton his old lair, so we can compete?"

0000000000

"So basically, I'm getting a watchdog for my operation?" Betty Director kept her voice civil with an effort, if for no other reason then a disinclination to be rude to her old mentor. Who was, after all, only the messenger. She sat in her office looking at Frederick Lipsky's face on one video screen. Abby Hogan sat across the desk from her, scowling.

"No, you're getting a watchdog for the remaining personnel who had knowledge of your former Deputy's actions." Frederick corrected her.

"I'd rather have them somewhere else, preferably unemployed by Global Justice!" This time the venom leaked though into Betty's voice.

"As would I." Frederick responded with a candor that caught Betty by surprise. "But firing all of them has a downside we don't need right now. By the way, if you were at all concerned, that fool's attempt to have a restraining order brought against you and I finally broke the Chief Executive Committee's patience. As did anonymous photos of him frolicking on Ibiza and not looking the least bit 'devastated' by his brother's betrayal. He'll be in front of the Tribunal tomorrow morning. You wouldn't know who managed to get those pictures, would you?"

Betty shook her head. "Honestly, No. Though I'd love to find out, and either promote them, shake their hand, or offer them a full pardon, or some combination of the above. Now, have you heard some rumors about WWEE having financial problems?"

Frederick hesitated, then nodded. "Sources inside say that their 'Morning Message', a little something your sister-in-law initiated, had been hacked, and contained a message saying they wouldn't be paid for the foreseeable future, due to 'financial reverses'. EWWE supposedly received a similar message. No clear indication how the rank and file are reacting to it, yet."

"Hmm, be nice if they all up and quit, wouldn't it?" Betty mused.

"Yes, wouldn't it? Betty, not to change the subject, but you're not being blamed for the whole situation with your Deputy. His tendency to undermine superiors and try to advance himself at their expense was known to some of his previous bosses. He managed to unseat one or two, and failed with others. They should have given you a heads-up on what to expect, and I mean to find out why they didn't." He paused, considering his next words, "And we didn't help things by summoning you to Geneva so many times, and giving him a chance to operate freely. But, we were trying to interest you in a higher position, maybe a spot on the CEC."

"Which I suspect is no longer likely after my latest embarrassment?" Betty forged on before he could reply, "And all my own fault, no less! If I hadn't tried to get cute with Shego, Team Go wouldn't even have been in Middleton, and gotten involved. Mind you, there was still Ron..." She shook her head, "Stupid of me to say that! He's nowhere near as accident prone as he used to be, and he _was_ there, and left the lair intact for a change! At least I had the good sense to duck into a smaller room before those little pests...and thankfully they didn't get my patch! That had to be the worst moment in my career since my first undercover assignment!"

Frederick nodded on the screen. "Yes, I'm sure. By the way, I didn't appreciate you calling me 'Charlie' behind my back after that one, Betty. Must go now, have to personally brief your watchdog."

He then signed off, leaving Betty still gaping at the screen. Then she looked at Abby and suddenly snorted in amusement. "Oh My God, I never knew he knew about _that!"_

Abby grinned. "We all had those kind of assignments, Betts. I'm sure you remember my most, ahem, 'revealing' moment on a case?"

Betty nodded. "Yes, And I'm still sorry I had to give you that job, Abby!" Her smile faded, and she sat silently, fingers tapping on the desk top. "I'd still like to know what Drakken got out of helping uncover that WWEE base, but no Feds are talking to me, right now." she shook her head, turning her chair to scan the monitors on the wall attentively. But then her shoulders slumped, and she let out a sad sigh.

"Thinking about Kim Possible?" Abby asked with a touch of sympathy in her voice.

Betty nodded. "She was right, for all the right reasons, to do what she did. And I was going to try and tell her she was wrong, for all the wrong reasons. But I didn't. Hardly tried to dissuade her at all, in fact."

"Conscience, maybe?"

Betty shrugged. "Am I allowed to have one of those, these days?" She shook her head. "Enough of that, we have work to do. Have we gotten any reports to verify whether Killigan is applying his chemistry skills to some non-explosive means for committing crimes?"

0000000000

**January Seventh**

It had been no surprise to Shego to find that the Seniors had a fully equipped medical facility on their island estate, and a doctor on staff full time, But Bernie had been impressed. Shego's morning exam, however, had left the thief in a sour mood.

"I really, really, _HATE THIS!" _Bellowing the last words actually caused Shego to wince. The pair were gingerly descending a flight of steps to one of several nice beaches on the island, all small, and if Shego was to be believed, mostly heavily mined. This one wasn't. Again according to Shego, this was a bit of sportsmanship on Senior's part, rewarding the well-prepared intruder. _Not_ an arcane version of 'Russian Roulette'.

"Calm down!" Bernie snapped at her, "You should have known you'd get bad news, considering I had to help you to the bathroom this morning."

"Thanks for reminding me!" Shego snapped acidly, then grimaced, and continued in an apologetic tone, "Sorry! And thanks again for staying the night with me, I know that chair wasn't comfortable." They reached the sand and started towards a pair of beach loungers. Shego was wearing a voluminous caftan over a pair of shorts, while Bernie had a robe on over a swimsuit. A bra was out of the question with Shego's ribs, of course.

"No problem, I've slept in less comfortable places, believe me." Bernie replied. Reaching the loungers, she let Shego lower herself onto one, while being prepared to render assistance if necessary. "I wonder if our host knows we shared the room? Pretty sure he knows better then to think we shared the bed in your condition."

Shego leaned all the way back and sighed wearily, closing her eyes. "Unless he overheard that crack of mine at breakfast yesterday." She opened her eyes and snorted as Bernie took her robe off. "To think, twelve young women in Brazil have been deprived of their bikinis so the material could be used to make _that_ eyesore!"

Bernie ignored the gibe at her very modest two-piece, preferring to deal with Shego's previous allusion. "I don't know how you do it, I really don't." She commented as she settled down on her own lounger. "I mean, in the Navy I had to deal with doctors who thought they were up to speed when they were still ten knots short, 'Inspectors' who thought the title meant they could touch things labeled 'Do Not Touch', and all sorts of superiors who decided to share their bad days with me, and I never lost my cool. Then there's my work at the school...I even babysat Kim Possible! And of course there was the other thing..." She trailed off, and Shego nodded sympathetically. "Yeah that must have been a horrible experience for you."

Bernie shrugged. "Nah! Ron was just a kid, he couldn't be held responsible..." She trailed off with a smirk, and Shego colored slightly as she realized she'd been played. "Oh, funny!" she retorted.

Bernie shook her head. "That's a taste of your own medicine, and it's what I mean, all those trying times while staying cool, and yet you can set me off with a single line, seemingly at will!"

"Meh! It's a talent." Shego responded glibly, then became serious. "And I'd never tease you about something really serious, I swear. I—I appreciate you being a friend and all, my first real one in a long time, I didn't think I'd miss having one so much. I mean there's Doctor D. Ssomewhere in that tangle, there's friendship or something like it, but still..." she seemed to run out of words.

Bernie smiled warmly in response. "It's not a problem, I like having you as a friend, too!" Then a puzzled look came over her face. "By the way, Senor Senior Senior told me he had a gift for you, but it wouldn't be good for your health to receive it right now."

"What, did he buy me a Jet-Ski?" Shego cracked to hide her own interest.

Bernie shook her head. "No, he said it's a video taken back in the States, but you might hurt your ribs laughing at it. Something from a lair, believe it or not!"

"Really? Hope it's not a HenchCo blooper reel, seen all of those. Been in too many of them, to be honest!"

"Speaking of which, when I was in his study with our host, I saw three HenchCo catalogs, and two from outfits called 'MinionCo', and 'MaceCo', all still in their wrappers, unopened."

"Hmm..." Was Shego's only response as she grew thoughtful. _"Dropping the hobby to prepare for your departure, my friend?" _The sun emerged from the clouds overhead as she thought this. Suddenly emerging from her reverie, she looked down at herself. "Help me get this off, will ya?"

"Sure." Bernie got up and helped her pull the caftan over her head. Her skin was unmarked, her bruises long dealt with by her healing factor. It was only beneath the skin that damage still existed. She lay back again and sighed in contentment at the feel of the sun on her skin. Then she opened one eye. "And please, get rid of that eyesore! Or cover it with my caftan, anything!"

"Well, since you ask so nicely..." Bernie, still standing, whipped off her suit...to reveal a second, smaller bikini underneath. "This one stays, though."

Shego made a face. "Oh, you sneaky..." She broke off and was silent for several minutes as Bernie sat and began to apply sunblock to her own skin. "It's all changing, you know? The Princess, all us villains...Senior's thinking of Junior, what he's going to leave him...Doctor D is being Doctor D, which translates to:'I haven't a clue which way he's jumping next'...Monty's changed his focus...guess I have to change, too! Just haven't a clue what I want to do. My past isn't going away, I have enemies on both sides of the law..." Her eyelids began to droop halfway through her rambling, and finally closed as her voice trailed off.

Bernie sighed, got up and set up a beach umbrella to shield the thief, then resumed her own place and lay back, basking in the sun.

On the terrace of the house above, Senor Senior Senior regarded their distant forms, then nodded to himself, pleased at some thought, and went back inside to speak with his attorneys.

0000000000

Drew Lipsky looked up from his desk as his office door opened, surreptitiously sliding the HenchCo catalog out of sight as Jean Stoppable walked in. "Ah! I take it the vote is in?" He asked her with one eyebrow raised.

Jean nodded. "It is indeed, Drew." She sat down in an easy chair to one side of the desk, causing Drakken to nudge the catalog farther under the desk, hoping it wouldn't topple off his knees.

"And should I now address you as Madam Mayor?"

Jean smiled slightly and shook her head. "Not quite. Firstly, you would still have been Mayor even if the vote had gone against you, due to a 'Grandfather Clause', preventing you from being retroactively fired."

Now Drakken was puzzled. "But...I never thought of...wait, you said _if_ the vote had gone against me? You mean it didn't?"

"The measure to strike the ordinance from the books was defeated by three votes, with two abstentions. So..." she rose again and headed towards the door, "..unless you simply quit, and disappoint your mother, you're still the Mayor, Drew Lipsky. Now get back to work, and stop reading whatever you're hiding under the desk!" At Drew's guilty start, she grinned slyly, "I do have a husband and a son, you know!"

Drakken sat there mildly stunned for several minutes after she left. _"They still want me? They like me? No!" _He shook his head angrily, _"They like the job I'm doing, how I'm actually straightening things out, making things work, that's all!" _He swiveled his chair to face the window, face sullen. But after a moment, a slow smile spread on his face, and he mused aloud, "I can live with that."

0000000000

"So, the lasers themselves weren't lethal, they would have just set off the alarm system?" Bonnie was asking Kim as the quintet from lunch emerged from the school at final bell.

"No, which was probably lucky, I probably would have froze up if I thought they'd kill me." Kim replied as she fished the keys for the Sloth out of one pocket. "I just thought it'd release knockout gas or something if I tripped one, much less pressure."

"But what Mister Paisley and his assistant _didn't_ tell us was, the guy who trapped them in the McHenry Laser Grid rigged the alarm system to a bunch of fire bombs he planted throughout the mansion!" Ron put in, causing the three girls to regard him with shocked expressions. "So, KP did save everyone in that sitch!"

Kim looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, as I said, lucky I didn't know that in advance, I might have freaked."

Monique had the next question. All five were now standing between the Sloth and Bonnie's car. "Did they catch the guy who set it all up?"

Kim shook her head, face serious. "No, after five years, we still don't know who robbed Mister Paisley, and set up that death trap."

0000000000

A short distance away, Brenda Core and Wallace Dill were watching and listening. Doctor Director was still concerned about retaliation by WWEE or EWWE, and had the pair keeping an eye on the teens.

"Hmm, well, we know the answer to that now, don't we?" Dill asked rhetorically, "Turns out it was Alpha's 'initiation' into WWEE. And he only accomplished half the job, thanks to Kim."

"And unwittingly brought Kim into the game." Brenda mused aloud. "And to think, it was mostly to get his brother promoted inside GJ! And that guy could have been our _boss_?"

Dill shrugged. "Only until he found a chance to slime his way onto the CEC, I'm sure." He saw the teens part company to enter their respective cars. "Do you think she'll give up being a hero?"

Brenda shook her head. "Not as long as she thinks she can help people, it's just the way she's wired. And she'll always have Ron at her back, God willing."

0000000000

"Okay, here's the deal.." Kim addressed Ron after they had dropped Monique off. "Before I turn the Dream Link on for a night, we will both sit and watch the same video together, hopefully preventing any unpleasant experiences."

Ron made a face. "'The Memo Pad'?"

Kim smiled fondly and shook her head. "No, we'll find something we both want to see. Something nice and simple, not like our lives." She paused and shook her head, "Didn't mean that quite the way it came out!"

"That's okay, the Ronman got the message." A few minutes of silence followed before Ron asked another question. "Has the therapy been good for you?"

"Yes." Kim replied without hesitation. She gave Ron a curious look. "Ron, do you have me up on a pedestal?"

He gave a goofy grin and shrugged. "A short one, maybe."

"And getting shorter every day?" Kim quipped with a smile that might have been hiding anxiety. "I mean, the first time you met me, I beat some boys up! How could you ever think of me as perfect?"

"I just thought of you as 'perfectly Kim', that's all." He replied. They pulled into his driveway and Kim regarded him for a second in wonder. Then she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank You." She said simply but affectionately.

"No prob!" He replied, and began to open the door. Then he stopped and looked at her. "KP, do you think I could use therapy?"

Her smile didn't waver as she shook her head. "No, you're perfect the way you are!"

He positively beamed at her. "Thanks, KP!"

"Now, when we're married..." Kim added thoughtfully, "I'll have to make a few changes..." she trailed off, and Ron regarded her askance for a second, before his smile returned. "I think I can live with that!"

"No," Kim corrected him, "We'll both be making changes, and _We_ can live with that!"

And so it ends, sort of. I know I missed resolving some issues, and I'll write and epilogue if some things bother people. Or a summary, but only if I get a petition with a few hundred names on it, because I'd have to go back and re-read my own story!

There is a follow-up story in the works, "My Fiancée, the Supervillain" Or something similar, have to think about it.

For now, please, Read and Review, both the last chapter and the story in general, if you feel like it.


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